The Art of Survival
by XscouselondonerX
Summary: "She's the runt of the class. A stiff breeze would blow her over." He sighed. "But she doesn't think like a child, not even like an adult. She thinks like a kunoichi." Hiruzen frowned. The problem was usually the other way around: Genin with unbridled potential held back by childish thoughts. Now that the problem was reversed, he knew which was worse. Slow burn Kakashi/OC
1. Stray Dogs

_**Disclaimer: Naruto is property of Masashi Kishimoto not me. However, Kosu and Hiro are mine. Warning, possible themes of a dark, violent or suggestive nature and use of mature language as the story progresses… They're ninja after all.**_

 **Chapter 1**

 _ **Stray Dogs**_

A long, satisfying sigh passed from between the thin lips of the jonin lounging on the grass. Long limbs stretched before relaxing under the heat of the afternoon sun. The black haired shinobi heard the sound of someone approaching, footfalls too quiet to be his wife. No, she wouldn't be conscientious about disturbing him. Quite the opposite actually, he considered with a quirk of amusement. _She'd disturb my nap and insist that since it was over I should help her do the chores_.

"Shikaku-san," Shigeharu Nara stopped a few feet from the leader of his clan. He was well practised in approaching his sleeping clansman and waiting until Shikaku had opened his eyes before continuing. "Something has distressed the deer. I believe there is an intruder in the forest." The information caught Shikaku's attention even if his body only moved sluggishly to his feet, his dark eyes were alert, obvious that his mind was working away. There were very few who dared to tread within the Nara forest. The deer, who guarded the deepest of Nara secrets, greeted no one other than the Nara's and whomever had been extended an invitation by the clan.

"Has the Shrine been breached?" Shikaku asked as he reattached his kunai pouch to the thigh.

"No Sir. The deer have kept them away." Shigeharu replied. Shikaku nodded.

"Come with me." Shikaku ordered and the two quickly disappeared within the depths of the Nara forest.

On the outskirts of the Nara forest a young child repressed the urge to yelp as she narrowly avoided the snapping jaws of a particularly vicious deer. From the crouch she swung up with the rusty kunai in her hand and the deer leapt out of the way. _What kind of deer are they!_ She growled internally. Never before had she preyed upon deer that fought like this. Stranger still, when she turned to run the deer hunted her! That was how she ended up in the horrible limbo of slashing at the deer whilst trying desperately not to get caught by snapping teeth or hooves.

As seconds ticked by, turning to minutes her thoughts desperately turned to the most precious thing to her, hidden away in a tree not far from her location. She couldn't be away from them for much longer, but returning would be impossible with these bloody deer on her tail. She growled in frustration and swiped out at the closest beast. The kunai made contact and embedded into the shoulder of the deer. The deer's bray of pain only worked to anger it's two friends more and she was suddenly faced with a new onslaught of hooves and antlers. Now without a weapon in her hand, it was all she could do to avoid the deer, scaling and swinging around a tree trunk to aid her evasion. With some distance between her and the deer she reached back to pull a couple of mismatched, poorly kept shuriken from the oversized pouch slung across her chest.

Suddenly she couldn't move at all. All her muscles locked in one place no matter how hard she strained she couldn't even twitch her finger. Panic rose quickly and she braced, ready to be trampled by the deer.

When no attack came, a cold dread spread from the centre of her chest as she realised someone or something else must be there. Against her will her muscles moved until she was stood upright. The deer were still surrounding her, heads lowered slightly so as to angle their antlers towards her. It seemed to arrival of the shinobi opposite her had stopped their attack – for now.

Shikaku released the hand seal after successfully capturing the intruder. Dark eyes observed the child as they moved to match his own stance. It was a pretty pathetic sight. The young child was adorned in ragged black trousers and a beige top that had likely once been white. Now covered in dirt, grime and dried blood it was never going to be white again. Both items of clothing were too large for the child, although based on the prominence of the child's collar bones it seemed more likely that the child was too small. That theory was further supported by the kunai pouch slung across the kid's chest, over one shoulder and under the armpit of the opposite side – a pouch designed for a fully grown man to wear around his thigh.

Shikaku met the eyes of the child in front of him. The way they looked at him from behind poorly cut cigarette ash coloured hair, eyes of light grey and lacking the innocence of the children their age in the village. _If there was ever a stray dog personified_. He thought grimly.

The Nara clan leader turned to the deer closest to him and frowned at the kunai protruding from its shoulder. He stepped closer to the animal, the deer meeting him half way and ignored the gasp of revelation from the child as they were forced to copy his movements. He ran his hand sympathetically over the deer's coat, the other stroking the snout of the deer comfortingly. The kunai wasn't deep and Shikaku felt confident in pulling the blade from the animal.

"Go to the house to get healed." He spoke lowly. So lowly that the child couldn't hear him. The deer bowed its head to him before turning and limping into the forest. Shikaku inspected the kunai in his hand, blunted and rusted. No wonder it struggled to penetrate the strong muscle of the deer. More strikingly though, it wasn't of Konoha design – it was from Iwa. Narrowed eyes turned to the child in front of him. "Who are you?" Shikaku asked. A scream answered before they could.

"Kosu!"

The cry was one of pure terror and obviously from a small child. The will to move strengthened so much that Shikaku found himself having to refocus on keeping the intruder captive under his shadow possession.

Moments later Shigeharu landed next to Shikaku, an even smaller child the miniature of the one on front of them subdued in his arms. This one was unarmed however.

"Hiro!" The armed child cried.

"I found this one in a tree a few hundred feet that way." Shigeharu supplied ignoring the two children, likely siblings due to their similarities, calling to each other. "I think he's blind." Shikaku raised an eyebrow and looked down at the child. And there it was, behind a messy fringe of grubby blonde hair, the milky white, absent eyes of blindness. Shikaku sighed. _This is not how I imagined my day to go._

"What do you want with us?" The older one demanded. Both Nara eyes turned back to them.

"We want?" Shigeharu asked, slightly perplexed by the intruder's questions.

"You have no idea where you are, do you?" Shikaku asked. Shigeharu glanced at his leader. He'd heard Shikaku speak to his enemies before - cold and calculated. But the Nara clan leader wasn't like that to these children. His tone was softer. Shigeharu looked back at the intruder and pieced together the clues Shikaku had seen the second he saw the child. Suddenly, it was all too clear. _They're refugees_.

"Kosu?" The younger whimpered. Shigeharu could feel the young child shaking beneath his hand like a frightened bird. He could even feel the child's heart thumping away behind his ribs in panic.

"Everything's okay Hiro. We're still in the forest." Kosu reassured, her voice soft and not at all matching the flighty, panicked look in her eyes. Shikaku sighed before releasing his shadow possession. Kosu faltered slightly as the hold was released and she had nothing to tense against. Hiro's head tilted at the slight sound.

"Let him go to his brother." Shikaku motioned with his head for Shigeharu to let Hiro go. Relief washed over Kosu and she took most of the steps towards her brother and pulled him into her arms, pressing her cheek to his matted hair. As she held her brother Kosu raised her eyes to the two shinobi. They both thought her to be male and she wasn't going to correct them. _I won't be abused_. Her inner voice reminded her all too quickly.

Whilst Kosu was reuniting with her brother Shikaku turned to Shigeharu and asked him to alert the Hokage of the situation and that he'd follow shortly.

"Where's your friend gone?" Kosu found the courage to ask. Although she was growing more confident that the shinobi wasn't going to kill her and her brother, she still shuffled Hiro so that he was stood behind her.

"You've trespassed on sacred ground." He said rather than answering the question. "But I suspect you had no idea?"

"We're sorry." Hiro said softly. "Have you got any food?" he asked, Kosu gently placed a hand on his head. An unspoken sign between the two of them and Hiro knew not to ask again. This ninja sounded nice enough to him, but there was obviously something that Kosu didn't like.

"You're leaf ninja." Kosu asked wearily, a small lump forming in her throat. He nodded.

"You have no one else with you?" He asked. Shikaku knew full well that they were the only two to trespass on his land but he was interested in their response. Kosu shook her head. "Parents?" Shikaku asked gently. Both Kosu and Hiro turned their heads to the ground simultaneously. That in itself answered Shikaku's question. The leaf jonin sighed and bent down into a crouch. Kosu's head rose, her eyes steeled.

"They're gone." Kosu said, fists clenched at her sides. "They're all gone."

"How long ago?" Shikaku asked.

"Before last winter." She replied. "Bandits came to our mining town, they found everyone."

"We hid." Hiro added. She looked from Hiro to the ninja and could see the suspicion in his eyes.

"You must have found a very good hiding place." Shikaku said. He watched as Kosu glanced subtly to her brother before closing her eyes, brow furrowed in pain. With a sigh Shikaku rose to his feet. "We're sorry." He heard Kosu say quietly, head still lowered. When Shikaku didn't respond she dared to look up and meet his gaze. "For trespassing. And I'm sorry about your deer." Shikaku sighed again. _This is turning into such a troublesome day_. He looked down at the stray dog like children.

"Where are you two headed anyway?" he asked and was met with silence.

"Away from your land." Kosu answered eventually.

"Konoha can help you." Shikaku suggested gently. "The orphanage can offer you a room and a village is safer than the wilderness." Kosu shook her head slightly.

"No." She clenched her fist at her side. "We'll be fi-" She stopped as a smaller hand wrapped over her fist. Kosu looked down at her brother, his innocent face hidden behind layers of dirt and dried blood.

"Please Kosu." He begged. "It's cold again." Kosu looked down as she recalled just surviving last winter. She ran her hand gently over his forehead, brushing his hair from his eyes. Large milky eyes stared up at her with untainted innocence. She caught her weary reflection in his eyes and exhaled in defeat.

"Okay Hiro." She whispered. Kosu gently picked Hiro up and in one fluid motion he was on her back, thin arms wrapping around her neck and legs around her middle. "You really want to help us shinobi?" Shikaku nodded once. Kami only knew what had happened to these kids to make them so mistrustful of obvious, genuine help.

In an attempt to gain some small modicum of trust from Kosu he offered her the rusted kunai in his hand. Surprised, Kosu looked at his hand as if it was a trap waiting to be sprung. Slowly, she raised her hand and wrapped her tiny scratched fist around the handle of the kunai. Shikaku felt an uncomfortable twist in is stomach as such a small hand took the kunai with such comfort and familiarity. Kosu quickly spun the kunai around and slotted it back into the small weapons bag on her back. "Thank you." She murmured.

"It's this way." Shikaku motioned with his head and started walking back towards the village. He sighed. It was going to be a long walk back to the village. He briefly considered picking both children up – they looked like they weighed less than a set of kunai – and transporting them himself. But that would lose the small amount of trust the children had in him.

Kosu frowned at the ninja before quickly falling into step next to him. She felt Hiro shift on her back and rest his head on her right shoulder.

"He sounds nice." Hiro murmured with a smile. Kosu looked up to Shikaku to see him glancing down at them.

"You think everyone sounds nice," Kosu replied, her eyes not leaving Shikaku. Hiro giggled, a small, quiet infectious sound.

"And you think no one does Kosu." Hiro smiled. Kosu huffed and looked down to the ground, missing the small tug of amusement at the corner of Shikaku's mouth.

"So is Kosu short for something?" Shikaku asked after a moment of silence.

"Kosuke." She gave the male name with practised ease.

Even Hiro knew her as his older brother, he was too young to remember a time when she wasn't. To him she had always been Kosu his older brother, his protector.

 _It's safer this way,_ Kosu repeated in her mind. For a brief moment she could hear the screams of the women echoing around her head but she quickly shut the memory away and squashed it far down to the pit of her stomach.

"Have you got a name Shadow ninja?" She asked. Shikaku looked down at her with a raised brow. _So he worked out the jutsu_.

"Shikaku Nara." Shikaku replied.

"What's a shadow?" Hiro questioned quietly. Shikaku blanked. How do you describe a shadow to a blind child?

"It's like an echo, but you see it rather than hear it." Kosu answered after a moment's thought. Hiro paused thoughtfully and smiled, letting his large eyes flutter closed he tucked his head into his sister's shoulder. The soft strands of blonde hair tickled the side of her neck and she found a melancholy smile pulling at her lips. The smile quickly slipped into a frown as her gaze rose from her brother and focused on the shinobi. A frown that stayed in place for the entire walk through the Nara forest.

 **X**

Hiro heard it before she did and no doubt their shinobi escort heard it before Hiro. The hustle and bustle of the large village. Civilians busying around the market, mothers with their children in the park, construction workers joking with each other. It was the sound of life. A sound that Hiro had never known and Kosu could barely remember.

Hiro's head rose from his sister's shoulder as soon as the first sounds of chatter reached his ears. Immediately, Kosu tensed. Hiro's hearing was incredible. Too many times he'd heard danger that she would have walked them straight into. Her hand rose so that her fingers dipped beneath the flap of the weapons bag and grazed against the old kunai. Shikaku stopped and faced the children.

"No. Wait." Hiro grasped his sister hand encouraging her to let go of the kunai.

"What is it?" She asked.

"I-I'm not sure. But it's good." Hiro assured her. "They're talking and laughing and there's kids."

"The Village." Shikaku said.

Kosu turned to look at him before gazing back into the trees in the direction of Konoha. Hiro beamed and his little arms tightening around her. She couldn't help but smile at her younger brother and pick up her pace as she all but ran with him to the forest edge. Kosu faltered as she broke from the forest edge and onto the road, mouth dropping open.

Konohagakure.


	2. Symbiosis

_**Disclaimer: Naruto is property of Masashi Kishimoto not me. However, Kosu and Hiro are mine. Warning, possible themes of a dark, violent or suggestive nature and use of mature language as the story progresses… They're ninja after all.**_

 **Chapter 2**

 _ **Symbiosis**_

The Hokage took a deep inhale from his pipe, slowly releasing the smoke from the corner of his mouth. Hiruzen Sarutobi had prepared for the worst when word reached him that the Nara Forest had been breached. Tensions with the other villages were high, in particular Iwagakure, Kumogakure and Kirigakure. The threat of war hung over them and seemed to increase with every treaty proposal that was declined.

To learn from Shigeharu that it was merely a couple of refugee children was surprising and more of a relief than it should have been. Shikaku had arrived shortly after with the two children and whilst the two scruffy orphans waited outside he had updated the Hokage.

"They say they're from a mining town, likely too small to have a name, but the older boy may be able to identify it on a map." Shikaku added. "Mining towns are usually capable of defending from bandits." Basic fortifications and training were common in mining towns and large farming areas. After all they had surplus of food, equipment and precious metals. What bandit wouldn't take that opportunity? The fact that their town had fallen to bandits was questionable to the seasoned shinobi.

The Hokage nodded his head.

Kosu sat on the edge of her seat and glanced periodically around the room, fingers tapping at her side. Beside her Hiro sat comfortably next, swinging his little grazed legs.

"Can you hear anything?" She whispered. Hiro paused before shaking his head. Kosu frowned and glared at the door.

Her heart rate spike when the door opened and Shikaku stepped out, hands in his pockets. His dark eyes found Kosu.

"The Hokage would like to speak to you." He said. When both siblings went to stand he added. "Just you Kosuke." Kosu tensed and looked to her brother.

"I'll be okay." Hiro assured her. It was still with some hesitancy that Kosu stood and followed Shikaku into the office. Kosu recognised the other Nara clan member as soon as she entered, but it was the older gentleman sat at the desk that had her undivided attention. He didn't look like much. Hands held peacefully in front of him, hair beginning to grey and soft brown eyes aged with experience. But there was something about him that set Kosu's on edge, something around them that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and her mind screamed at her to run- run far and fast.

"You must be Kosuke." The older man spoke first as she stopped in front of his desk. Kosu nodded. "I'm Hiruzen Sarutobi, Hokage of Konohagakure." Hiruzen paused as he observed the child in front of him. With interest he noticed that as relaxed as the child tried to appear their muscles were coiled, ready to dart away at the first opportunity they got. With purposely slow movements so as not to startle the flighty child he unrolled a map onto the desk. "I'd like to know where you're from." He smiled warmly.

Kosu glanced between all three men before slowly stepping forwards to the edge of the desk. She had to stand on her tiptoes to be able to get a decent view of the map. It wasn't the first map she'd seen. There used to be a large one in their town in the main building. They'd used it to mark the transport routes for the ore as well as known bandit points. Her eyes naturally fell to the South-eastern boarded of the Land of Earth as she searched for her mining town. There were many seams in that area and as a result many small mining towns, to her surprise none of them seemed to be marked on the map.

Back when they had first lost their town Kosu had led Hiro down along the Land of Earth boarder in the hope that the other mining towns would take them in. To her dismay each town seemed to have succumbed to the same fate as her own. After that they had avoided towns all together. The wilderness was safer.

"This map is up to date?" She asked, raising her head to meet the Hokage's gaze. He gave a small nod. Then Konoha had no idea of the amount of mining towns just outside the Land of Earth boarder. Kosu quickly looked back down at the map, her heart rate spiking with excitement as potential sparked in her mind. She just had to check one more thing. Dull grey eyes peaked out from behind a messy head of hair as she looked up to the Hokage. "Hokage-sama, are you friends with the Iwa-shinobi?"

Kosu knew she had hit the negotiation point she needed when the Hokage's dark eyes narrowed and snapped to her face. Both Shikaku and Shigeharu tensed and it was as if the temperature of the room dropped several degrees. Kosu took a deep inhale and relaxed back off of her tip-toes, squaring her bony shoulders.

"What do you know Kosuke?" The Hokage asked.

"What can you offer?" Kosu asked in reply.

"You're in no position to be playing games Kid." Shigeharu said, his clenched fists the only sign of his frustration.

"I'm not playing." Kosu frowned up at the youngest ninja. "If you think I'm not aware that any one of you could kill me or my brother before we'd even realise you'd moved, you're wrong. I'm perfectly aware of what shinobi are capable of." She paused and looked back to the Hokage. "So since words and knowledge are the only tool left in my arsenal. I'm going to use them. So I'll ask again Hokage-sama, what can you offer me and my brother?" It took all the self-control she had to keep the nervous tremble from her voice.

Hiruzen regarded the child in front of him and the corner of his mouth curled upwards in amusement. He had wondered how two children could survive in the wilderness for so long, now the answer was obvious. This child was the reason they survivied.

"You realise that we could torture you and your brother until you gave up your knowledge?" Hiruzen said lightly. Kosu felt her blood run cold and stomach drop to her feet. "But we won't." Hiruzen added in a cheerful tone. Kosu swallowed thickly, she could feel the beads of sweat rolling down her back. "Here's my offer." Hiruzen placed his pipe down and folded his hands in front of him. "Train at the ninja academy here, become a shinobi of Konoha." Kosu raised a brow at the old man. "It's the job of a shinobi to protect the Village and those who live here. That includes your brother." He watched her carefully as her brow lowered and seemed to be coming around to his words. "You'd have more than just words and knowledge in your arsenal." He repeated her own words back at her and her eyes widened.

"How do I know you're not lying, that this offer is genuine?" She asked.

"You only have my word." Hiruzen replied simply. Deep in thought Kosu jumped when Shikaku took a step towards her. Her head tilted to the side in curiosity as he took a small crystal from the desk and offered it to her. It was strange, as it sat in the palm of his hand it seemed to glow faintly. She took it from him and held the dimly glowing crystal between her calloused fingers.

"The crystal lets us know you're chakra sensitive. You meet the academy entry requirements." Shikaku explained. Kosu stared at him in confusion.

"Chakra?"

"One of the many things you'll learn about, if you train at the academy." The Hokage explained. Shikaku took the crystal back from her and returned to his position at the side of the desk. Kosu looked to the Hokage and met his expectant gaze. With a deep inhale she stepped towards the desk once again, rising onto her toes and reaching for the brush and ink. All three ninja watched as she added the land contour lines for multiple mining seams along the south-east boarder of the Land of Earth. She then marked five small mining towns and put the brush down.

"The area is rich with ore." She pointed to the seams. "The mining villages have been there for generations, with trade routes to Iwagakure, Kusagakure and Amegakure. Iwa had been slowly increasing their demand and we'd been struggling to meet our agreements with all three villages. When our town couldn't reach Iwagakure's demand they came to the town and took everything by force – that was a couple of winters ago." Kuso clenched her hands into fists. "They left us with nothing and it was only a matter of time before bandits took advantage of it. We didn't stand a chance." Her brow furrowed. "Hiro and I hid and ran when we had the chance. No one else…" She trailed off as the screams of her memories echoed around her head. "…survived." Swallowing thickly, she looked back at the map and used her finger to draw a line between all five mining towns. "We tried each of the towns, anywhere to take us, to be safe. But each town had met the same end as ours. We headed south-east after that, as far away as we could get." Kuso exhaled heavily and looked at the three ninja in the room before stopping on the Hokage. "I asked if Iwa is your friend because the ore we mined is perfect for crafting weapons – and they've stolen enough to equip an army."

Deafening silence encompassed the room, broken only by the Hokage picked up his pipe and took a long, thoughtful inhale.

"Thank you," Hiruzen finally said. "Your academy classes start tomorrow 08:30 sharp at the school attached to this office building. Shigeharu would you mind showing these two to the orphanage?" Hiruzen turned to look at Shigeharu.

"Of course Hokage-sama." Shigeharu bowed his head slightly and turned to Kosu.

"Thank you Hokage-sama." Kosu smiled weakly before turning and following Shigeharu out of the office.

Hiruzen waited until the door had closed and he turned his wise eyes to Shikaku Nara.

"Shikaku I want you to assemble a three-man squad and recon the areas he marked on the map. Verify that they are destroyed, that the ore is gone and if there is any evidence of Iwa involvement." Hiruzen laced his fingers together. "This is a C, potentially B rank mission, leave as soon as you've gathered your equipment."

"Lord Hokage." Shikaku bowed his head and body flickered away. Hiruzen sighed and looked back down at the map, eyes drawn to the most recent additions. Kosuke was a runt of a child, malnourished and under developed for his age. But there was a fierceness to his mind, sharpened by whatever horrors he and his brother had experienced.

In any other life Hiruzen doubted that Kosuke would have ever taken the shinobi path, never even come close to it. It was a shame really, he could of had a nice simple life as a miner. But it was too late for him now. Hiruzen had only had to look at Kosuke once to know that he had already taken his first steps on the shinobi path – intentionally or not. The year fending for himself and Hiro had prepared him in a way the academy often struggled to. Kosuke knew how harsh life could be beyond the village walls.

"Kosu?" Hiro raised his head as the office door closed behind Kosu and Shigeharu.

"It's all sorted Hiro." Kosu took his skinny face in her hands, running her thumb over his cheek. "We're going to stay here."

"I'd hoped so. The people here are really nice." He beamed up at her, his head tilting slightly to the left. Kosu followed his gaze and caught sight of yet another leaf shinobi. Adorned in the standard dark green flak jacket with a single white sleeve with a red triangular trim over his left upper arm. Her eyes drifted over the tantō strapped to his back before finding his face. A surprisingly kind face, surrounded by a head of shocking silvery grey hair.

"Sakumo-san." Shigeharu tilted his head in greeting as he caught sight of the infamous jonin. Sakumo raised a casual hand in return. It was then that she spied the small origami dog in his other hand. Kosu glanced down at Hiro, surprised that he even remembered how to make them.

"Come on you two." Shigeharu reached out to place a hand on Kosu's shoulder. His hand never made contact with her however. She turned sharply and glared at him and his outstretched hand. With a sad gaze he lowered his hand and turned. Kosu took Hiro's hand and followed after Shigeharu. She glanced back over her shoulder at Sakumo just before she turned the corner.

 **X**

"Just wait here for a moment." Shigeharu said to the two children before walking down the small path to the orphanage. Kosu nodded, extending her arm and pulling Hiro close to her. The pair stood in front of a large apartment complex, four floors high and painted dark green. It was a large rectangular complex with a courtyard in the centre.

"Nakamura-san?" Shigeharu called as he entered the orphanage, briefly glancing out to the court yard to see if she was out tending to the garden there.

"Please, my name is Hiroko." The warm voice Hiroko Nakamura insisted as she entered the reception hall from a side office. Shigeharu smiled in return as he turned to face the short, well-endowed woman.

"Hiroko-san." He amended. "My name is Shigeharu Nara. You should have already received word that you'll be having two children join you?"

"Yes!" She clasped her hands together in front of her chest. "Found in the wild those poor dears and one of them blind." Shaking her head in despair. "I've arranged beds for them-"

"About that," Shigeharu began. "The eldest, Kosuke, is to attend the academy."

"Ahh." Hiroko nodded. The orphanage was a home for all types of children: civilian or ninja. That being said, in the past ninja trained children matured mentally at a faster rate than civilians so it was often better to give academy students a self-contained unit. The orphanage had studio apartments just for that. "We have an apartment available."

"With room for two?" He asked. "I don't think it's wise to separate the siblings." Hiriko nodded.

"I'll start organising it right away. When are they arriving?" She asked.

"Er- They're outside." Shigeharu admitted.

"Ah!" She slapped his shoulder. "Don't leave the poor things on the doorstep. Bring them in." she tutted and turned around busting back into the office in search for a key all the while shouting to one of her assistants to bring the spare clothes and toiletries to reception.

"Oh, Hiroko-san." She paused, key in hand and turned to Shigeharu. "Kosuke isn't fond of physical contact." He warned her. A sad understanding passed over the woman's bright blue eyes.

"Bring them in." Hiroko said. Shigeharu nodded and left the orphanage, returning moments later with two small scruffy children in tow.

The reception was beautiful. Tiles of a lotus pattern decorated the floor and high arched windows let light flood in from the front and from the courtyard. Kosu's head tilted up as she followed the lines around the large room.

"Hello my dears, my name is Hiriko Nakamura, matron here." A warm voice pulled Kosu's attention from the ceiling and to the elderly woman by the dark wooden reception desk.

"This is Hiro and Kosuke." Shigeharu introduced as he motioned to the two children.

"Thank you for taking us in Nakamura-san." Kosu said.

"There isn't a child here who calls me Nakamura-san. I don't expect you two to start the trend. It's Hiriko. Hiriko-san if you must." Hiriko insisted. Kosu nodded slightly whilst Hiro beamed.

"You sound lovely Hiriko." Hiro grinned.

"Thank you dear." She smiled. All heads turned as a teenage girl entered the reception struggling with two cases in her arms.

"Here." Shigeharu darted to her side and helped her with the cases.

"Thank you Akira-chan." Hiriko nodded to the green eyed blonde. "These are our two new residents, Kosuke and Hiro. Boys, this is Akira she used to live here and kindly comes back to help me out."

"Hi boys, you're going to love it here." Akira, bright and chirpy, beamed at them. Hiro raised his hand to wave slightly.

"Shigeharu-san do you mind carrying the cases?" Hiriko asked the chunin.

"Lead the way Hiriko-san." He smiled. Hiriko clapped her hands together, a key still firmly clasped in one weathered hand, and motioned for them to follow her through the complex. As the group made their way through the complex, up a couple of floors Hiriko continued to talk the entire time. She spoke all about Konoha, the other children at the orphanage, the garden outside and the prospects for them growing up.

"Here we are." Hiriko smiled as she opened a black door.

 _Apartment 2C_

Inside was one of the larger apartments consisting of three rooms: a bathroom, a bedroom containing two beds, and a living space consisting of a kitchen unit, a table and chairs and a couch. Kosu looked on in amazement, barely paying attention as she took the key from Hiriko.

"This is for us?" She asked.

"Of course." Hiriko nodded warmly. "And in the cases are some basics: toiletries and clothes and such." Kosu looked to the cases that Shigeharu placed on the floor. _This is really all for us?_

"I'm afraid I have other duties to attend to." Shigeharu said. "I hope you settle in well and best of luck Kosuke," he looked to the children. "Hiriko-san." He nodded to the women before turning and stepping out of the apartment.

"Bye," Hiriko called after him. She turned back to the siblings. "Now where was I? Oh yes! Now with regards to food all children here receive a monetary allowance that you can either spend yourselves and cook," She pointed to the kitchenette, "or you can give it back to the orphanage and join us with the group meals. There's no need to decide right this second and we'll provide for you for the next few days whilst you get used to it here. Obviously you're welcome to change your mind and any point no matter what you decide. Speaking of money, you will also receive an allowance for clothes that you're welcome to spend and you Kosuke will receive an allowance for any supplies you will need for the academy." Hiriko paused and smiled down at the children. "Do you have any questions."

"Yeah, erm… can I feel your face?" Hiro asked shyly. Hiriko blinked in surprise.

"If he feels your face he knows what you look like." Kosu explained.

"Of course you can my dear." Hiriko bent down and took Hiro's hands, guiding the young boy towards her. Kosu watched as Hiro laid his tiny hands on the woman's face and gently felt across the planes of her face. Across her forehead, down the bridge of her slightly upturned nose, along her plump cheeks and back to her hairline. Hiriko smiled as Hiro's hand found the tight bun her greying hair was tied in and his brow wrinkled in confusion. "My hair is in a bun." She explained. Hiro's frown quickly turned into a smile as he felt and learnt something new.

"Thank you Hiriko." He stepped back.

"Thank you Hiriko-san." Kosu echoed.

"You're welcome dears. I'll leave you to get settled. If you need anything come find me. I live onsite in the apartment just off of the reception." She explained before turning and closing the apartment door.

Kosu exhaled slowly and wrapped her arm around Hiro's shoulders.

"I like it here." Hiro announced.

"… Me too, little brother." She admitted quietly.


	3. Lesson No1 No sharps

_**Disclaimer: Naruto is property of Masashi Kishimoto, not me. However, Kosu and Hiro are mine. Warning, possible themes of a dark, violent or suggestive nature and use of mature language as the story progresses… They're ninja after all.**_

 **Chapter 3**

 _ **Lesson No.1 No sharps**_

Kosu was the first to arrive at the academy. Months of rising with the sun was hard to fight and when the first beams of light had shone over the horizon Kosu's eyes had snapped open. Outside of the academy was a large grassy area much like the courtyard at the orphanage. By the main entrance was a white wooden board with:

' _Welcoming the class of'_

written in stylised font followed by a list of names. To the side of that a small list titled:

' _Alternative entries'_

was pinned to the board with three names written underneath it. A few feet away was a lone tree with swing attached to one of the larger branches. It was there that Kosu stood and waited for the sun to creep higher on the horizon. Her small hands ran over the hem of her new dark brown T-shirt before finding the pockets of her black shorts, both curtesy of Hiriko.

Hiriko had been delighted the previous evening when Kosu and Hiro had arrived down for dinner clean and freshly clothed. With all the dirt and grime removed the differences between Kosu and Hiro were more striking. Whilst the pair were obviously siblings, it was clear that they only had one parent in common – their mother.

Hiro's hair was even softer with all the dirt removed. And with all of the dried blood out of hers, Kosu revealed that her hair was closer to cigarette ash grey than the dirty brown the mud and blood had coloured it.

Kosu closed her eyes. She shared a couple of similarities with her mother, but her hair colouring was the most obvious of them. Seeing herself clean again had brought back uncomfortable memories of the deceased woman. At the threat of remembering the kind faced woman Kosu did was she always did with unwanted feelings and squashed them deep down, far away from the focus of her mind.

The arriving students proved to be a welcome distraction for Kosu's thoughts. Some of the older students glanced her way as they entered the grounds but for the most part they were oblivious to the fact she was even there. Her pale white skin was the perfect canvas for the dapple shade of the tree to project onto. That plus the dark browns and blacks of her clothes made it easy for her still form to blend in. Hiding was essential to survival and surviving was the one thing Kosu knew she could do. The one thing she had to do.

"Go and use the power of your youth my boy!" A loud voice bellowed. Kosu's eyes snapped to the black haired man dressed in green spandex and clashing yellow leg warmers as he and his miniature arrived at the gates of the academy.

"I will Papa!" The miniature yelled in reply, shooting his father an enthusiastic 'thumbs up'. Kosu blinked in bewilderment as she watched the miniature version sprint into the academy, shouting good morning to a small silvery-grey haired child as she did. Looking back to his father she was even further confused to see tears streaming down his face as he looked on with a proud smile. Deciding that that particular public display was not something she was going to be able to figure out any time soon Kosu shifted from her position. The moment she made a large movement the last child besides herself in the yard snapped his head up.

Kakashi's head jerked up as he caught a sudden movement under the lone tree in the yard in his periphery. _How long had that kid been there?_ He tried to place the face of the boy beneath the tree and decided that the stranger was not only be new to the academy but also the village.

Kosu could feel the boys eyes on her as she walked the short distance from the tree to the doors, hands still in her pockets. She passed within a metre of him and dared to raise her gaze to meet his: rain clouds clashing with a rich metallic grey. The lower part of his face obscured by navy mask. Kosu inclined her head slightly and continued past her peer disappearing down the corridor towards her classroom.

Kakashi's brow furrowed slightly in he watched the new child enter the academy. Their silent steps were a pleasant change to the noisy stomps of his classmates. He had no doubt that the boy had been under the tree for a while. _How did I not see him?_

The classroom was bursting with chatter. Chatter that significantly dropped when she entered the room. Kosu spared the large tiered class only a glance as she made her way to the brown haired chunin sat at the desk. Kakashi entered a few seconds after her and made his way up the steps to his seat on the third row.

"You must be the new kid, Kosuke right?" His voice was deep and seemed to rumble from within his throat. He stood from his desk and Kosu tried not to shy away from the hulk of a man's presence. _So much muscle_.

"Yes sensei," She nodded. His dark eyes took their time looking her up and down. He didn't seem too impressed with what he saw. But then again one good meal and a wash doesn't hide the hard evidence of malnutrition and outdoor living.

"My name is Daiki Kimura." He introduced. "You're late starting so you'll need to catch up in your own time." He stated hands on his hips. "Class!" he called gaining the attention of everyone in the room and the final few whispered conversations stopped. "This is Kosuke he's new to the village and will be joining our class." Que the excited whispers of intrigue from the class. Daiki-sensei resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Go and take a seat." He motioned with is head for her to go and take a seat with the rest of the class. Kosu made her way up the first few steps and slid into the first available seat.

"Hi. Genma Shiranui." The brown haired boy next to her introduced, the senbon in his mouth barely moving as he spoke. Kosu nodded to return the greeting before turning and giving Daiki-sensei her full attention.

The morning topic was a subtopic of ninjutsu. He began by briefly recapping the topics they'd already covered, whether that was for Kosu's benefit or not she wasn't sure. But she appreciated the fact she now had a list of subjects she needed to cover out of hours. The list wasn't too long but all of this was new to her, even the vocabulary surrounding ninjutsu was foreign. Kosu frowned at the diagrams drawn on the blackboard – she needed to study.

The class broke for a short break and Daiki wasn't surprised when he looked up and saw Kosuke stood in front of his desk. Resting his elbows on his desk he leant forwards slightly.

"You have some questions?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Just two." Kosu replied. "Is there a library I can access?" She asked, surprising Daiki. He blinked at her and nodded.

"And the second question?"

"Where is it?" Kosu asked, shoving her hands in her pockets. Daiki observed the child in front of him. _The runt isn't expecting to be spoon fed_. _Of course, this kid is used to standing alone._

"Go out of the academy and turn right, walk about 100 metres and it's the building with the blue roof. You can't miss it." He replied.

"Thank you, sensei." She said and left the classroom.

She closed the sliding door behind her and was met by the bright faces of most of her class. Part of her wished that she'd remained in the peace of the classroom.

"Kosuke right?" An energetic black haired boy with goggles pounced on her first. "I'm Obito Uchiha." Thumb pressed to the fan emblem on the chest of his shirt. "And as the best student in our class I want to welcome you!"

"Best? Best at being late maybe." Genma laughed, elbowing Obito in the side jokingly. Obito huffed, cheeks pinking slightly and shoved Genma back.

"Kakashi is the most skilled in our class." A short brown haired girl with lilac stripes on her cheeks piped up earning a whine from Obito. "I'm Rin Nohara." She introduced. "And this is Kurenai Yuhi." She pointed to the black haired girl beside her with wide red eyes. Kurnenai waved shyly.

"Hello," Kosu managed, slightly overwhelmed by the amount of eyes staring at her.

"Are you really from outside of the village?" Rin asked with wide brown eyes. Kosu nodded. "Wow, that's so cool." She grinned.

"It's not that impressive," Obito huffed, crossing his arms over his chest, pouting.

"No one else in our class has ever been out of the village." Rin argued. Kosu raised an eyebrow, _really?_

"Daiki-sensei has!" Obito argued

"He doesn't count." Rin protested. "He's our sensei."

"And old." Genma added.

"Hay!" Daiki's shout could be heard through the door. Several sets of wide eyes snapped to the door in fright, Kosu's included.

"Perhaps we should insult sensei somewhere he can't hear us." Genma suggested with a smirk. They all heard the scraping of Daiki's chair and that was enough to scatter the shinobi in training. The group didn't stop until they were out in the yard. Most of them were sniggering, with the exception Rin who was scolding Genma, albeit light heartedly.

At the sound of someone panting quite heavily Kosu turned and was intrigued to see the loud, black haired and bushy-browed boy from earlier doing laps around the track – on his hands. Kosu glanced to the side as Genma stopped next to her hand in the pockets of his black hoody.

"Who is that?" She asked.

"That would be Might Gai." Genma answered. "He does that." He motioned vaguely with his hand as if to explain Gai's eccentricities.

"He has no ninjutsu or genjutsu to speak of." A new voice added to their side. Turning, Kosu met a boy with black hair styled into a messy quiff and wearing a pair of black tinted glasses.

"Kosuke, this is Ebisu." Genma introduced. The pair nodded to each other. Ebisu then motioned with his head back to Gai.

"He trains his taijutsu with this 'self-rule' of his." Ebisu continued. "He sets an impossible task and says that if he fails it he'll do some other ridiculous task." Kosu watched as Gai fell over onto his back. He was barely down for a second before he flipped over and began doing push ups.

She could hear the despair in the voices of Ebisu and Genma. She could tell by their expressions the two boys couldn't see Gai ever amounting to much. Looking back to the determined young shinobi Kosu felt a deep stirring of understanding in her chest.

Gai reminded her of the first wild boar she'd tried to kill. Kami only knows how many times she'd stabbed at the bloody pig. It just kept getting up. It refused to stop fighting for itself. Kosu would always be thankful to that pig. It had value beyond the meat on its bones. Which when realised by a starving child is something remarkable indeed. The boar had taught her that living wasn't her Kami given right, it was something to be fought for. You don't just exist, that's what objects do. No, she had to survive. She had to survive for herself and for Hiro.

"Okay Ladies!" A blonde haired kunoichi called as she stepped out into the yard.

"See you later!" Rin called happily as she linked arms with Kurenai and skipped happily towards the chunin instructor.

"Where are they going?" Kosu asked as she watched all of the other girls in her class disappear into a separate classroom.

"The girls go to special kunoichi lessons." Genma shrugged. "They play with dresses and flowers or something."

"Ergh!" Ebisu sighed, "their lessons are more important than that!" He huffed. He turned to Kosu, "They learn how to act as ladies of any status in any culture – makes them perfect infiltrators." Kosu felt her teeth clench and her gaze looked up over the academy roof to the Hokage's office that was attached to the building. Something twisted uncomfortably in her stomach at the description of the kunoichi training and she was even more thankful that she hadn't corrected anyone's assumption that she was male.

"Like I said, dresses and flowers." Genma grinned, knowing he'd get a reaction from Ebisu – he wasn't disappointed. "Anyway!" Genma said loudly before Ebisu could start lecturing him again. Kosu was pulled from her dark thoughts by his voice and turned her attention to the boy. "Whilst they're doing that, we have some time." Brown eyes narrowed slyly. "Want to show us what you've got Kosu?" His question seemed to gain the attention of all the boys in the yard. Even Kakashi who had been minding his own business, sat reading on a bench, looked up from his book.

"What do you mean?" Kosu asked, head tilting to the side.

"Sparring!" He grinned. "I mean; Daiki-sensei says we can only spar with taijutsu for now. Some stupid rule of his."

"He has a 'no sharps' rule until we've figured out why there's a 'no-sharps' rule." Ebisu added. "It was very cryptic and no one's figured it out yet. Not even Kakashi" He huffed.

"But we still have taijutsu," Genman shrugged. Kosu blinked at him before slowly coming around to the idea that sparring was the physical equivalent of studying.

"Any other rules?" She asked.

"Just say 'give' or tap if you want them to break a hold and end the lock up." He shrugs. Kosu nodded and the other boys formed a very loose, large circle around herself and Genma.

Her classmates weren't their only observers either. Daiki had been joined by the Third Hokage in his classroom, curious as to how Kosu was doing. The pair were stood, hidden from view at the window watching the scene unfold.

"How has he settled in?" Hiruzen asked, hands clasped behind his back.

"Pretty well all things considered." Daiki rested his hands on his hips. The Hokage had briefed him before Kosuke's arrival. He had feared it was going to be a hard adjustment for the refugee being in a class of other's his age. Not only was Kosuke unused to anyone but his brother for company he had also essentially had a year of the most intense, borderline barbaric, survival training. There wasn't any way someone could think like a child after something like that.

"But something troubles you." Hiruzen sighed. Daiki nodded, making an affirmative sound in his throat.

"Physically he's the runt of the class." Daiki said bluntly. "A stiff breeze would blow him over. But he doesn't think like a child, he doesn't even think like an adult. He thinks like a shinobi." He turned to the Hokage. "And because of that the academy environment won't suit him for very long."

Hiruzen frowned. So often was the problem the other way around: Genin brimming with shinobi prowess held back by childish thoughts. Now that the problem was finally reversed - A mentally sharp shinobi trapped in the body of a civilian - did he know which was worse. The Third Hokage watched as the two children met in combat.

The grin never left Genma's face as he shrugged the hoody off of his shoulders and tossed it to the side, spitting the senbon from his mouth so that it landed on his jacket. They stood 5 metres part, a distance that was quickly reduced the moment Ebisu said 'Go'.

Genma was on her in a moment forcing her to dart to the side to dodge the punch. Grey eyes widened at the boy's speed. The boy's leg came at her next, swinging high, and she raised her right arm to block.

It was a move she regretted immediately though. Even against her guard the kick was strong enough send her to the ground. Kami, that was going to leave an ugly bruise along the length of her right forearm. Kosu took the momentum into a roll and up in a low crouch a metre from Genma. _Shit_.

He was as quick, if not quicker than her.

He was stronger than her.

He actually knew taijutsu combinations.

He had her out in the open.

He had her without weapons.

 _Shit_.

His leg swiped at her again and she didn't make the mistake of trying to block. Dodge and dodge was her main goal. Dancing, flipping and twisting out of his way as she desperately tried to think of a way out. The few openings she took to jab a punch or kick at him it was like she had no effect. To him she was just a fly he could bat away. This way not a fight she could win on brute strength. _Then again, when has there ever been a fight I've been able to muscle my way through?_

It was when she rolled out of the way of a kick, her nose having to graze the ground to get low enough that a plan formulated in her mind.

"Ah!" Genma cried in surprise as his eyes were suddenly filled with a handful of dry, dusty earth. He faltered.

She wasn't foolish enough to believe she had the strength to punch and kick Genma. He outclassed her in that department. So when he faltered she darted around him soundlessly and pounced on his taller frame. Her legs wrapped around his middle at the same times her arms trapped his neck in a chokehold. All four limbs locked in place and Genma gripped her arms, his eyes were wide, reddened and streaming.

Genma probably had the strength to break her hold but it was too late. She tightened her legs first, winding him and forcing the air from his lungs. Then, in perfect synchronisation, she pulled hard on her arms cutting off his wind pipe. Genma threw himself onto his back to try and get her to loosen the hold but her limbs remained vice like. When that failed he quickly tapped her arm. She released and immediately Genma was coughing and gasping.

She wasn't sure what she expected when the spar was over, but glares from the observing boys was not it. Confused, she pulled herself to her feet and turned. They were all glaring at her. Genma stumbled to his feet behind her.

A bruising-ly hard hand gripped her shoulder, growling her name. She turned to see a seething Genma. Kosu didn't have time to ponder his reaction as his fist quickly snapped back and punched her face. She staggered to the side, face erupting in pain and immediately felt her mouth fill with a warm metallic liquid. She spat to the floor – blood.

Inside Daiki tensed and made a move to leave. He needed to break the boys up. It was the Hokage that stopped him.

"He can't graduate until he's physically ready." Hiruzen frowned. The boy was basically a walking skeleton, his body needed developing. "Make him ready." Daiki nodded before using the body flicker to get to his students.

"That was a dirty shot Kosuke." Genma growled. His eyes had stopped streaming, but being as red as they were he looked half demonic.

"What?" She glowered.

"We're training to be ninja Kosu!" He yelled. "And you go and do something as cheap as throw dirt in my eyes? You don't deserve to be here if that's how you plan to fight." He glowered. Kosu narrowed her eyes and her teeth snapped together.

"There is no such thing as cheap shots Genma." She said lowly. She never got to finish however as Daiki-sensei appeared in a small puff of white cloud in between them. Kosuke quickly shut her mouth and stared up at Daiki.

"Kosuke. Let's go and have a chat." He said in a low, rumbling voice. Kosu lowered her head slightly and made her way back towards the academy. As she passed through the circle she could hear her classmates whispering.

"He shouldn't be here."

"Outsider."

"He'll get kicked out for this."

She ignored it all and made her way into the academy. _These kids have no idea._

Daiki kept the stern look on his features until he slid the classroom door closed behind him. He then relaxed immediately and threw a damp cloth to Kosu. She caught it and looked confused at his sudden change in persona.

"Clean your face, you're bleeding everywhere." He gestured the wooden panels that had droplets of blood on them. Kosu continued to watch him as she brought the damp cloth across her face, wiping the blood away. He watched her, catching sight of the bruises already blooming all across her pale skin. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yes sensei." She replied, brow furrowing slightly. The concern in his eyes had caught her off guard.

"Good." He nodded. "As you realised during your fight you can't keep up with the rest of them. You're weak and your technique is sloppy." Kosu only nodded in agreement. "Despite all that you beat one of the top students in the class because you actually _think_ like a shinobi. You managed to work out and apply the lesson I've been trying to teach them for over a week."

"Your 'no sharps' rule." Kosu clarified. Daiki nodded.

Contrary to popular belief the younger children weren't prevented from using kunai and shuriken in sparring to only protect them from injury. That was only a small part of it. The much larger emphasis was to try to encourage them to realise that 'no weapons' wasn't the same as 'taijutsu only' – they had their environment and their opponent to manipulate.

"So here's how this is going to go." Daiki crossed his arms over his chest. "You need to be as strong in body as you are mind and I'm going to make sure that you are. It's going to be hell for you." It should have been fear that filled her. But instead her chest warmed in such a way she wasn't entirely sure what to do with the emotion. She swallowed thickly.

"Yes sensei." Kosu nodded.

Daiki reached into one of the scroll pockets of his flak jacket and handed it to her.

"Know the content of that scroll before you meet me after your classes today." He ordered. Kosu nodded her head and took that as her dismissal. She hesitated a few metres from the door and looked over her shoulder at Daiki.

"Sensei, why are you doing this for me?" she asked. Daiki's face softened. _Because you're too far gone to go back on the shinobi path_. But the young refugee in front of him was in no state to even begin to process that concept so instead he said:

"Don't you have a scroll to learn?"

Kosu nodded, lips quirking ever so slightly and she left the classroom.

Daiki sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He had taught at the academy for years and whilst a small part of him knew that he was teaching children to fight and kill. He sought solace in the fact that they were learning to do so in order to protect and serve their home, their friends, everything they loved. Yet for the first time his gut churned uncomfortably at the thought of training a child. _What is it about this runt?_

 **To SultanaV: My first reviewer! And on both chapters as well. Thank you so much. This character and plot have been swimming around my head for a while and I finally gathered the courage to post it on here. I hope you continue to enjoy it**

 **To DollXparts: Thank you so much for your review. Reviews really do make all the difference especially this early on! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **XScouselondonerX**


	4. The Blacklist

_**Disclaimer: Naruto is property of Masashi Kishimoto, not me. However, Kosu and Hiro are mine. Warning, possible themes of a dark, violent or suggestive nature and use of mature language as the story progresses… They're ninja after all.**_

 **Chapter 4**

 _ **The Blacklist**_

They were whispering.

Again.

Kosu kept her gaze fixed forwards to the front of the class, ignoring her classmates and their glares as they walked passed her. It was the end of the day and for all but her it meant they were finished at the academy until tomorrow. The door slid shut behind the final child.

"Let's have a look." Daiki-sensei said. He stood in front of Kosu's desk with his tanned arms crossed.

She clenched her teeth and slowly removed the ice compress she'd been applying to her temple. It felt like she had a second head with how large the swelling was. In its centre there was an oozing laceration running almost parallel to her hairline. Although it was only oozing when he looked at it, the substantial stain of red down the side of her face and matted into her hair was evidence enough that that wasn't always the case. Kosu winced as she blinked and quickly opted to keep her right eye closed. Without even seeing her reflection she knew that there was a dark bruise forming on almost the entire right upper quarter of her face.

Daiki sighed and motioned for Kosu to apply the compress once more. _Ebisu really went for him with that kick._

"You're not particularly liked are you?" He said.

Daiki-sensei had noticed since his run in with Genma that Kosuke had been blacklisted by the other boys and by default also the girls. That was three weeks ago and it was only getting worse, not that Kosu helped matters.

Daiki desperately wanted to stop it, to encourage the children to embrace Kosu as a comrade and friend. But he hadn't, he couldn't. His orders were to prepare Kosu, and the constant defeats served as good practise and a solid reminder that he was still weak and in need of improvement.

Had it been any other student he would have had to have intervened. But this was Kosuke.

"I don't care if they like me." She replied dryly. "They're idiots."

"They all out perform you in every test." He raised an eyebrow. Kosu was quite solidly set at the bottom of the class rankings.

"That's not-" She stopped, reconsidered her words. "They are smarter, and stronger." They were, plain and simple. She knew she could never beat them in a straight up fight, nor out-perform them on a written exam. "But they are ignorant and naïve." She lowered the ice compress from her face and stared at him with eyes too old for her face.

 _And those people don't survive_.

Kosu eventually looked down, exhaling softly. She and Hiro were safer away from those who were just going to get themselves killed. Let them sink their ships on their own, she sure as hell wasn't going to drown with them.

"So sensei, should we get started?" Kosu asked after a thick silence passed between the pair.

"Yeah. We're going to work on your chakra, again." He announced.

Kosu nodded, standing from the desk and mentally preparing herself for a gruelling training session. At the end of which she would feel on the inside like she looked on the outside and Daiki would undoubtedly be wound up beyond belief.

Whilst her taijutsu was still terrible it was at least showing evidence of improvement. Unfortunately, this wasn't true for her chakra and control thereof. Rather unexplainably, she was on the same skill level as Might Gai - a child who was proven to not be chakra sensitive.

Kosu was so much like him in fact that Daiki had retested her with the small crystal. Once again the crystal glowed, she was definitely chakra sensitive.

 _So what the hell was the issue?_

 **X**

Sakumo watched with a weary gaze as his son pushed a grain of rice around his plate. The same grain of rice he'd been contemplating for the last three minutes. Kakashi's mask was around his neck and the pout of his lips was all too obvious. The last time Sakumo had seen his son this pensive he'd been blindsided by a question on the complexities of animal summons – Kakashi had been doing a bit of light reading apparently. So with that in mind Sakumo Hatake placed his chopsticks down and turned in his seat to his son. It was time to address the pensive frown that had been on Kakashi's face for the last few weeks.

"What's got you thinking so hard?" Sakumo asked. Kakashi met the warm gaze of his father and exhaled slowly.

"A boy in my class." He replied.

"Oh?" Sakumo tilted his head slightly. _What's Obito said now_?

"He's late joining the class." Kakashi began. "And is rather pathetic. He's very small, smaller than me," Kakashi, being the youngest in his class by a couple of years, was used to being the smallest in the classroom. "He's not very strong either or good at manipulating chakra."

Kakashi's frown deepened as he replayed the moment Kosuke had thrown the dirt into Genma's eyes. At the time Kakashi's eyes had widened and a crashing realisation of Daiki-sensei's 'no sharps' rule had washed over him. Needless to say Kakashi had demonstrated the same awareness of his environment to Daiki-sensei in their afternoon classes and received the praise from his peers at working it out. But it was a hollow achievement. Kakashi was used to being the best. He was always first. And yet this skeleton of a boy figured out the meaning behind the meaning before he did. _How?_

"This boy, he's not from here?" Sakumo asked. Kakashi shook his head. Sakumo's mind was instantly filled with the image of the two refugee brothers - in particular the haunted look of the eldest. Kosuke was his name, if Sakumo had heard correctly in the jonin breakroom.

"He doesn't have shinobi parentage either." Kakashi's brow furrowed further. "Yet, he managed to work out the meaning of Daiki-sensei's rule. How can someone as pathetic as him do something like that?"

Sakumo sighed.

"Kakashi, between the academy and, if a child has them shinobi parents, Konoha does it's best to prepare you for your shinobi path." Sakumo began. "But these lessons and skills can be learned through other means. You'll meet more like this boy, Kakashi." Sakumo warned. "You'll encounter those, who despite having nothing that resembles traditional ninja training, will just _think_ like we do."

 **X**

"You're getting good at that Hiro." Kosu smiled at her younger brother.

"I play it a lot." He chuckled.

Kosu had arrived back from the academy the week previously. Hungry, because she was late. Late, because Daiki had ordered her to stay longer than normal. And in pain, because Daiki had paired her against Genma during their afternoon sparring session. It was her turn to be held in a neck threatening choke hold.

And yet all of that disappeared as soon as she saw Hiro's happy face, gushing excitedly about his new flute. An item from Hiriko's past that was apparently of no use to her now that her fingers were succumbing to arthritis. Instead of throwing the instrument away she had gifted it to Hiro.

Kosu was still weary of the older woman's motives behind the gift. But the instrument made Hiro so happy she couldn't bare to take it away from him.

At first he just enjoyed making random sounds with it, excitedly showing off the new noises to anyone who would listen. When he realised that the notes could be put together and made to sound beautiful he began doing that. Spurred on by the fact that Kosu so obviously enjoyed it. He'd work hard each morning, so that when she stopped by during her lunch break to check on him he could show her something new.

Hiro had never felt Kosu smile before – a proper smile anyway. The type of smile that took over someone's entire face. But by playing the flute he could make it happen and he was determined to make his older sibling smile each day. Big brothers were there to protect their little brothers. And little brothers were there to make their big brothers smile.

Kosu had always acknowledged that her brother had an incredible ear. She just never expected it to extend to musical prowess. She was quite glad that it did. It made studying the many scrolls, tomes and books that Daiki piled on her bearable.

Three weeks now and the academic work wasn't letting up. In fact, it was only increasing. There were days her mind felt as beaten as her body. And beaten she was. Her skin was a rainbow of colours from the red-blacks of her cuts and scabs to the extensive range of bruises that mottled her skin. _Thank Kami you can't see me Hiro_.

The only positive visible change to happen to Kosu was that she was actually gaining mass, admittedly slower than Daiki would like. But muscle growth was muscle growth. Good diet and strict training meant that for the first time in her memory she could no longer see and feel all of her ribs – just most of them. She was still far below the standard of her classmates and probably still below the average height and weight for a civilian her age. But at least she was trending in the right direction.

"Well as much as I love hearing you play. Right now I'd rather see you eating your food." Kosu kept her voice light and gently pushed Hiro's plate towards him across the table.

"Sorry brother." He giggled placing the metal flute carefully on top of his crossed legs and picking up his chopsticks. Kosu shook her head slightly in amusement and turned her attention back to the book in her hand: Shinobi Formations and Tactics Vol. III.

All too soon her lunch break was over and she had to say goodbye to Hiro. She watched fondly for a moment as he left her side and made his way over to Hiriko.

The older woman looked to the door after saying hello to Hiro and gave Kosu a wave, watching the older sibling disappear through the front door. She then turned her full attention to flute wielding child at her feet, overjoyed that once again the orphanage was filled with soft melodic tones.

 **X**

Kosu arrived back at the academy and crept silently over the fence, dropping into the shadows of the large building. Technically, they weren't supposed to leave the academy grounds during their breaks, but Kosu had been doing so since her second day. Daiki was well aware, having followed her the first time she snuck out but had decided to allow the two siblings have lunch together.

Like every other day Kosu walked around the building and into the yard, spying Gai in the centre of the track doing push-ups on his fingers.

"412," He panted and collapsed flat on his face as she walked passed. _He's improving quickly_. She glanced over her shoulder at him. He was already up onto his hands and starting his first lap.

"Hay Kosuke!" Rin called as soon as she saw the smallest of their class in the yard. Kosuke blinked in surprise – no one talked to her. Ever.

Rin was stood with most of the rest of the class and Kosu didn't miss the way they all glared at her. Kosu grew more confused when Rin all but skipped over to her.

It was in situations like these that Kosu found herself missing the simplicity of the wilderness. Everything out there either wanted to kill you or it didn't care for your existence. It was simple. There was no grey area of confusion.

"Where did you go? I was looking for you all lunch." Rin's head tilted to the side. Kosu resisted the urge to point out that Rin was probably exaggerating her search efforts and instead opted to say,

"I was around."

"Oh," Rin blinked.

"Anyway, I need to return this before class." She motioned to the book in her hand and inclined her head as if to say 'goodbye'.

"Bye," Rin mumbled as she watched Kosu walk away. A look of determination claimed her face as she re-joined the rest of her peers. "We should include him more." She announced.

"Why?" Genma frowned, rolling the senbon between his teeth.

"Because, he's new and we should make friends with him." Rin replied as if it was obvious.

"He's not the type of person you want to be around Rin." Obito frowned, agreeing with Genma. Rin scowled, hands on her hips.

She didn't understand why all of the boys in their class had turned on Kosu and tried to exclude him. They forced him to sit in the darkest corner of the class all by himself. They would glare at him whenever he walked passed and ignore him if he spoke to them. And the worst thing, so bad in fact that Rin struggled to watch, was the fact that in any spar against Kosu the other boys seemed to _enjoy_ physically beating him. There wasn't a single day that Kosu wasn't bruised or bloodied. Not once did Daiki-sensei stop it.

"Why? Because he's not one of the best in the class?" She asked, trying to guess the motive behind excluding Kosu. Rin was met by a round of groans and rolled eyes.

"That's not it at all." Obito said.

"And that doesn't make sense, we still include Obito." Kakashi explained.

"Kakashi!" Obito growled.

"Look Rin, just trust us okay?" Genma said. Rin's face softened for a moment but she quickly found her resolve.

"No." She shook her head. "This is wrong. And if you won't befriend him with me, I'll do it by myself."

"Rin-"

"Time for class!" Daiki-sensei called stopping them from arguing any further.

 **X**

Class ended and like always Kosu remained behind. They'd had a day of theory and shuriken practise which meant she was going to be training her taijutsu with Daiki-sensei.

Kosu watched from the classroom window, an eyebrow raised in confusion at the argument occurring between her classmates. Rin, the ever-peaceful-friendly-to-everyone-Rin, was in a heated showdown with Kakashi, Obito and Genma. Daiki noticed his pupil's attention had drifted from listening to him.

"I'm not going to like whatever that is, am I?" He asked with an exasperated sigh, peering over Kosu's shoulder.

"Probably not." Kosu agreed. The argument finished with Rin smacking each of the three boys upside the head and storming off. Kosu's other eyebrow joined the first in surprise.

Daiki failed to hide his low snigger of amusement. _The first of many for those boys I'm sure._

"Anyway" He cleared his throat. "As I was saying. You know the routine, let's go." He jerked his head and left, knowing that the little child would follow after him like a puppy.

He started by running her through conditioning drills, desperately trying to get something on those bones. It was off putting how slight the child was.

After that the pair sparred. This was the part where Daiki-sensei didn't pull his punches as much as he did with the other students. Under the firm belief that Kosu wasn't one to let the same trick fool him twice.

His fist made contact with her and sent her sprawling. She coughed and spluttered on the ground as she tried to regain her winded breath, eventually making it to her feet.

Daiki sighed.

"Again."

Kosu came at him this time. He'd told him from the beginning that he would need to "go for him with the intention to kill, if he was going to even stand a chance." Disturbingly, although not surprisingly, Kosu hadn't even hesitated. And whilst his form was terrible it was obvious he knew exactly where he needed to strike in order to kill.

It was a hard kick to her side that wiped her out the next time.

"Again."

A choke hold she couldn't slip out of.

"Again."

And again and again until Kosu was a sweating, panting mess with barely enough strength in her legs to keep herself upright.

Daiki found the uncomfortable twist of his stomach returning as he pushed the child to his limits and all the while Kosu just looked at him, waiting for more. The kid didn't complain once. Kosu didn't utter any sort of sound at all. Daiki watched as the child worked like a dog and he had no doubt in his mind that he would keep going until his body quite literally gave up.

Kosu didn't even realised Daiki hadn't said 'again' until he was in front of her and placing his large hand on her shoulder. Kosu's eyes snapped up to Daiki as she yanked herself from his grasp, stumbling drunkenly backwards.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention." She apologised.

Kosu was so tense she wasn't even shaking from fatigue anymore. The child's gaze was on the floor so she missed the sad look that passed over Daiki's usually stoic face.

Daiki sighed. _Just how lonely are you Kosu that a gesture of affection scares you?_

"Kosu." He waited until the child looked up. "You don't have to stand alone against the world anymore."

Her breath seemed to just stop, halfway between exhaling and inhaling, eyes widening. _Nobody helps refugees._ She snapped at herself.

An angry sneer replaced the look of shock and Daiki immediately knew he'd made a massive mistake.

Opening his mouth, he went to explain but he never got the chance.

"I'm not ignorant and naïve, sensei." She spoke lowly and quickly left.

"…Shit."

 **X**

"Well, you look like you've had a tough day." Sakumo chuckled as he sat down next to his old team member, clapping Daiki on the shoulder as he did so.

"I warned him years ago that teaching would do this." Inoichi laughed from his seat across from them. His comment earned a withered glare from Daiki and amused smirks from the other two members of their party; Shikaku and Choza. Sakumo shook his head in amusement and took a gulp from his beer.

The five friends were sat around their usual booth in the corner of the bar, far enough away to not to be over heard by anyone, but close enough so as not to stand out.

The group had originally planned to meet up a few weeks previously but Shikaku's spontaneous mission out of the village to investigate the destroyed mines had delayed their get-together. True to Kosuke's report, the mines had been emptied of their ore and the towns had been razed to the ground quite some time ago. There was nothing left but rubble and bone.

"You guys are no bloody help." Daiki huffed and swallowed the remainder of the amber liquid in front of him in a single large gulp. "I'm going to find more amiable company." He announced grumpily and swiftly exited the booth. Daiki clapped Sakumo on his shoulder as a way of saying goodbye and made his way over to the bar.

"But Sakumo just arrived!" Inoichi called, a teasing grin on his face. Daiki ignored him and struck up conversation with a couple of pretty ladies at the bar.

"Leave the man be." Sakumo shook his head. The white fang wagered he knew exactly what had Daiki so worked up.

"I assume you've heard about the little deerstalker?" Choza asked. Sakumo nodded and sighed. Of course that was what was eating at Daiki. The chunin might sound and look like a tough son of a bitch, but the bear of a man was a softie at heart.

Sakumo recalled the first mission outside of the Village their genin squad had been assigned. In fact, it was the very same mission he had gained the wisdom he'd passed to Kakashi the previous evening - about the very same child no less. But, where Sakumo had gained that insight, Daiki had struggled to get passed the suffering enforced on those so young, those who had no choice, those who had to adapt or die.

Those like Kosu.

 **To longlongnights: Thank you for your review! And I'm so glad you find it more realistic! That's one of the main reasons the plot has darker themes incorporated. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **To LadyAmazon: She very well maybe in the future, but great kunoichi's aren't made overnight. She's going to have to work her arse off :D I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **To the Guest confused about Kosu's gender: She is female and knows she's a girl. But due to events she feels more protected pretending to be male (for now). I hope that clarifies things?**

 **To Kitca: Yay :D So happy to hear you like Kosu! I hope you continue to enjoy how she is portrayed in this chapter.**

 **To the Guest from 10/1/17: Thank you for seeing potential in what's written so far! I hope you enjoyed this chapter too**

 **To Yoran or something: Thank you for the review and here you go!**

 **To prankster-at-heart: Thank you so much! My writing style is something I'm constantly trying to improve (so constructive criticism is welcome!). And I wanted to break slightly away from the general type of Kakashi/OCs I've seen on here. I hope you continue to enjoy the fic.**

 **To IzzyG1989: Thank you so much! I very much plan on keeping this up, I have plot ideas right through to the main arcs of Naruto and Shippuden O.O I just hope I can keep it up haha.**

 **To dewirusdiana091: Thank you! And here you go X**

 **To LostPrincessHolly: Gah! Thank you so much! So much praise, you're review made my day. I was sat editing chapter 4 when you're review came through and it was just perfect. Anywho, it's an absolute relief that you don't think Kosu is some all-knowing, super strong ninja. Whilst I agree, those are fun to read sometimes, I've worked hard on her character plan to make all of her strengths and weaknesses justified and believable. I hope this chapter continues to show that!**

 **To wyteeth: *happy dance* So much love for Kosu! I mentioned in a review reply above that I actually have** _ **The Art of Survival**_ **roughly plotted out through the events of Naruto and Shippuden so you'll definitely get to see what type of shinobi and person she becomes! And all of the relations and bonds she forms along the way. There's so much to come :D I hope you liked this chapter.**

 **To the Guest from 11/1/17: Thank you! Such massive praise I hope you continue to enjoy** _ **The Art of Survival**_ **!**

 **To curlystruggle: Thank you so much, and here is the next chapter! So glad that you like Kosu and Hiro :D And for sure! It's going to be interesting to see everyone's reactions!**

 **To the Guest from 12/1/17: Thank you for your review. I honestly can't stress what a difference they make! I hope you continue to enjoy the plot line and the characters as they develop. And you have no idea how happy it made me to hear that someone is getting attached to them!**

 **XScouselondonerX**


	5. Broken Things

_**Disclaimer: Naruto is property of Masashi Kishimoto, not me. However, Kosu and Hiro are mine. Warning, possible themes of a dark, violent or suggestive nature and use of mature language as the story progresses… They're ninja after all.**_

 **Chapter 5**

 _ **Broken Things**_

Konohagakure was a hive of almost constant activity. The citizens dominated the streets as they busied through their daily routine, completely oblivious to everything but their own little lives. Kosu found it unnerving. None of them cared how loud they were or which way the wind carried their scent. And with the way the large wall wrapped around the village boarders she was reminded all too easily of domesticated sheep – animals with stupidity and docility bred into them.

Daiki-sensei's words echoed around her head and she found her hands fisting at her sides. _He's wrong_. Of course she had to stand alone. These people didn't care for her and Hiro, they were too wrapped up in their own lavish lives. Not that Kosu would ever allow herself to rely on them. The moment she became dependent on someone she opened herself to weakness, worse still, she placed Hiro at risk. At any moment she had to be prepared to walk away, to stand on her own two feet – fight or flight. She had expected a shinobi of all people to understand. After all, their dedication to the mission objective was exactly the same as her dedication to Hiro's safety.

Hiro was her mission.

 _Being in this village has made Daiki-sensei soft._

The female chunin stationed at the main gate nodded a greeting to Kosu, letting the armed child pass beyond the village walls.

The first time Kosu had exited the Village she'd been stopped in the process. The chunin guards were uneasy simply letting a sickly looking child pass into the wilderness alone. They'd made her wait whilst they sent a runner to the dispatch office and felt like fools when the runner returned and confirmed that Kosu, despite being a non-ninja minor, had permission to leave. That embarrassment had been compounded when she returned from a successful hunt.

The Village and all its sheep faded behind her the deeper she headed into the thick forest. Soon enough all noise from the village fell away and since her footfalls were silent, her ears were engulfed by the familiar sounds of the wilderness. Kosu exhaled and slowly her fists unfurled. Predatory eyes swept over her surroundings and she searched for tracks to follow. _The Village won't soften me._

 **X**

Rin slowly peered around the corner of the building, spying Kosu further down the street. True to her word Rin was determined to get to know their new classmate. Although, she wasn't making great progress with her self-appointed mission. She would tail after Kosu when she saw him and then quickly lose track of him some way or another. For a boy at the bottom of the class he was very good at going unnoticed when he wanted to.

"Rin!"

A hand clasped her shoulder and it took everything for her not to yelp as she was turned around.

"Obito!" She hissed. "You scared me."

"Sorry." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Rin couldn't help herself and ended up smiling back at the boy.

"What are you doing here?" She looked between Obito, Genma and Kakashi. "Have you changed your minds about Kosuke?"

"No." Genma replied dryly.

"But we also don't want you going alone." Obito added quickly.

"I can take care of myself," Rin pouted. _It's only Kosuke after all._

"We're going to lose him." Kakashi's calm, if slightly bored, voice announced. The white haired boy watched lazily as their target disappeared behind a corner.

"Come on." Rin whispered hurriedly and took the point position of the group. True to their shinobi training the group fell into a ninja pursuit formation without even realising it. They stalked Kosu across the village and the closer to the boundary wall they got the more their curiosity grew.

Kakashi stopped and held his fist up, the unspoken command for the formation to hold. Sometime during their pursuit he'd swapped positions with Rin. She didn't' suit being a point man. Rin was better suited on the flanks as support.

"What's he doing?" Genma whispered quietly from his position at the back of the formation.

"Oh Kami, he's leaving." Rin's eyes widened. "You've made him run away!"

"Relax Rin." Kakashi said. "Even Kosuke's not stupid enough to run away with only a kunai pouch and some rope." Rin paused and spied Kosuke's disappearing figure. True to Kakashi's word there was no backpack filled with supplies.

"Oh,"

"So then, what is he doing?" Obito asked. Kakashi's eyes narrowed as he followed Kosuke until he disappeared behind the treeline.

"For once Obito, you've asked a sensible question." Kakashi said.

"Thank y- Hay!"

"We should wait for him." Genma interrupted Obito before he could start into his typical declaration about unlocking his Sharingan, defeating Kakashi and becoming Hokage.

And they did wait, until the sun was half hidden by the horizon, but Kosu never returned through the main gate.

"Next time we follow him all the way."

 **X**

The pursuit of her prey had brought her around the curve of the village wall so much that she was closer to the Eastern entrance. Although long, the trail had proven to be worthwhile, justified by the prize draped heavily over her shoulders. Kosu wondered if she would have been able to carry such large prey before she started training at the academy. _Doubt it._

"Oh wow." The guard at the Eastern gate found himself slack-jawed in surprise. Not necessarily staring at Kosu, more the wild hog draped over her shoulders. The large black belly of the hog was mounted behind her head and put her underfed one to shame. The guard's eyes drifted down to the head of the hog, dangling limply near the child's knees. Even in death the large tusks of the hog looked menacing.

"I left from the main gate. They'll want to know of my return." She said as she walked past him.

"Oh, er right." The blonde nodded. "Do you need some help with that?" He asked, motioning with his hand to the hog. Kosu considered the weight pressing her down, the burn of all of her muscles, the stiffness in her shoulders.

"No." Kosu declined and continued her path into the village. "If you can't carry it, don't kill it." She murmured to herself.

It was lesson she'd learnt after she'd slayed a fawn. The distance between the kill site and Hiro was too great. She made the decision to returned to the tree she'd stashed Hiro safely away in and bring him to the dead deer. Only her prey wasn't where she had left it. A family of foxes had claimed it as their own and left nothing but scraps. Kosu hadn't made the same mistake since. After that incident she killed what she could carry.

She had it down to a fine art. The clean kill, ideally through the eye and into the brain. It ended the animal's life instantly and didn't run the risk of contaminating the meat. The animal was then bled as quickly as possible, normally there and then at the kill site. Once bled, Kosu field stripped the animal by removing the organs and carried the carcass back to wherever she'd hidden Hiro for skinning and cooking.

Now that they were residing in Konohagakure that sequence had been adapted slightly. Hiriko had screamed and promptly fainted the first time she'd caught Kosu stringing up and skinning an animal in the courtyard. The woman's reaction had bemused Kosu. _It was only a rabbit._ After that, an agreement had been made with the local butcher. Kosu was to take and process the meat there, with the butcher occasionally offering to purchase any extra meat that she had. Although that often depended on the animal. The butcher never seemed interested in purchasing squirrels and rats.

 **X**

"Bloody hell lad,"

Kosu wiped her brow with the back of her arm and turned to face Goro - the butcher. Behind her the hog was strung up on one of the many hooks he had in the back room of his shop.

"That hog's bigger than you are." A deep chuckle filled the room. Kosu had quickly become a regular at his shop. Although he was more used to seeing the child bring in a selection of hares and squirrels. "You selling any of it?" He asked. A redundant question, there was no way Kosu and her brother could eat all of the hog before it spoiled.

"Yeah." Kosu replied as she pulled a kunai from the pouch at her thigh. It wasn't Goro's tool of choice for skinning an animal, but it was obviously the tool the child had grown used to. He watched as Kosu fisted a secure handful of the pig and swiftly began cutting away at the skin. It was impressive to watch. Goro had taught all of his apprentices how to strip and skin an animal, but none of them could do it as neatly and efficiently as Kosuke. The boy wasted nothing. "I'll cut away what I'm taking and leave the rest."

Goro hummed his agreement and watched the child work. It was oddly hypnotic. It took mere minutes for Kosu to skin the hog and cut away the massive loin cut she was keeping for herself and Hiro. She suspected Goro would still pay quite well for the rest of it, there was a lot of ham, belly, ribs and shoulder left hanging from the hook.

Kosu left him to inspect the rest of the hog whilst she returned to the front of the shop to parcel up the loin cut. Her fingers were tightening the string holding the paper around the meat when the bell chimed, signalling a customer entering the shop. Weary eyes regarded the blonde jonin with caution. Between his smile and kind blue eyes he looked friendly, but there was something about him that made the hairs on the back of Kosu's neck stand on end. _His presence is like that of the Hokage_. She swallowed thickly.

"Hello," He smiled pleasantly. "Are you Goro's new apprentice?"

"No," Kosu replied lowly, taking the large parcel securely in her hands.

"Alright lad, let me just get you your ryo." Goro said as he entered the shop. "Oh Minato-san" Goro's face was immediately overcome with one of the largest smiles Kosu had ever seen. "You're just in time for some fresh ham." He passed behind Kosu and opened the cash register, counting out some ryo into a pouch. "Here you go lad." He handed the pouch to Kosu who shoved it into her trouser pocket.

"Thank you," She said to Goro, her eyes never leaving Minato. Her gut screamed at her not to let the man out of her sight. Minato watched with a curious raised brow as the tense child quickly passed him and darted out of the butchers.

"I've not seen him around before." Minato commented lightly to Goro.

"Yeah, that's Kosuke." Goro scratched the back of his neck. "He's an odd boy, one of Hiriko-san's." Goro shrugged and opened his arms out. "But he's an excellent huntsman so he's welcome here anytime." He chuckled. "Anyway, enough of my ramblings, what can I get you?"

"Some of that fresh ham sounds good." Minato replied. Goro clapped his hands enthusiastically and disappeared into the back room.

Once Goro had left Minato's bright eyes narrowed analytically and he looked to the door Kosuke had just left through. He, like all of the other jonin who frequented the breakroom, had heard of the _Deerstalker_ – nicknamed by the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. Although he'd been sceptical of the details and assumed Inoichi was merely spinning it into a tall tale. Now that he'd actually seen the boy he wondered just how much truth there was to Inoichi's tales.

 **X**

"It smells so good brother!" Hiro exclaimed as Kosu placed the plate of steaming food in front of him. She smiled wryly. She could serve the worst tasting concoction in the world and Hiro would still smile and proclaim how much he liked it. "Itadakimasu."

"Itadakimasu," Kosu echoed from her seat opposite him. Like every meal she had her food in front of her and whatever text Daiki-sensei had her studying to the left of her meal. "So what have you been up to whilst I was out?" She asked. Hiro happily recalled his day, how he had practised his flute, then played with the other children at the orphanage at the park Hiriko had taken them too.

Kosu had reacted badly the first time she found out that Hiriko took the children out during the day. She was so accustomed to knowing exactly where Hiro was every second of every day, to find out that he hadn't been where she thought he was. Kosu was livid. It was only the tears welling in Hiro's eyes that stopped her from shouting anymore at Hiriko and had her apologising for raising her voice. She was still uncomfortable with it, but Hiro enjoyed the park so she tolerated it.

"Kosu, can I ask you something?" Hiro asked. Kosu's eyes rose to her brother. _He's never asked for permission to ask a question before._

"Anything," She assured him.

"Is this what it was like?" Hiro's voice was quiet. "Is this what having a home with mother was like?" Kosu's eyes widened and her tongue felt heavy in her mouth. "I don't remember her, or our home, or friends. So, is this what it was like?"

Kosu swallowed thickly and closed her eyes. Those were memories she'd buried deep, deep within her. Hiro didn't remember because he was too young. Kosu didn't remember because she didn't _want_ to.

"Kosu?"

"Yeah, I suppose it is Hiro." She said quietly using all of her control not to let her tone of voice give away her inner torment. Hiro smiled, oblivious to the pain in his sibling's face.

"I'd hoped so. I like having somewhere to call home, to be my friends and family." He beamed.

Kosu felt sick.

A sickness she was struggling to squash down and ignore.

 **X**

Kosu couldn't sleep that night. Her stomach continued to churn as Hiro's and Daiki's words echoed around her head, taunting her tired mind. Eventually, she had enough of lying there, slowly driving herself mad so she left the orphanage.

The village was much quieter at night, but she still found herself straying to the outskirts. Some far-fetched reasoning that the peacefulness of her surroundings would somehow help calm her mind. Judging by how her hands fisted and un-fisted at her sides it wasn't working.

Her wanderings took her to the ruins of a long abandoned, un-kept shrine. The wood had long since been claimed to rot and the entire structure would have collapsed if it wasn't for the strength of the vines that grew through it. Curiosity won out and she entered the damp smelling shrine. Her eyes were naturally drawn to the back wall where 30 oni-masks hung in a 3x10 grid. Above the masks a triangle shaped carving with 3 swirls at each point remained mounted.

 _Uzumaki._ Grey eyes widened in realisation. _No wonder the shrine is in ruins_.

The Uzumaki clan had all but been eradicated. Their home village of Uzushiogakure had been destroyed years ago, with all but a few of their clansman surviving the genocide. And those few were scattered and hidden away. Their mastery of fūinjutsu was that coveted and feared, that those who sought it had resorted to killing the clan when they couldn't attain it.

With renewed curiosity Kosu pulled the overgrown vines away from the stone tablet in front of the masks. Her calloused hands cleared away the thick layer of grime that had settled over the surface. Carved into the stone face was a sequence of small intricate kanji forming rings with interconnected lines. _Fūinjutsu_ – more complicated than she'd ever seen in a text book.

Time seemed to slip away as she studied the ruins in front of her, trying to decipher the flow of the symbols and their meaning. Kosu was so engrossed in her work she didn't even notice the aged dark blue eyes watching her with intrigue. Excitement followed intrigue as they watched Kosuke approach the masks and reach for one of them – a very specific mask.

"This shrine receives very few visitors."

Kosuke inhaled her squeak of surprise and whipped around, heart racing and hand snapping to the kunai pouch at her thigh.

"And of those few, even fewer can understand what is written here."

From the shadows an elderly woman shuffled forwards. Her long hair, half tied up in two neat buns was a deep shade of maroon with grey starting to bleed through from the roots. Between that and her slightly stooped posture. She was the oldest person Kosuke had ever seen, at least twice the age of the Hokage. Not that her old age helped put Kosu at ease - it did the exact opposite. _There are very few who know how to survive that long is this world_. For the second time that day Kosu found herself unnerved by the presence of another.

"Tell me your name child." Her smile was warm.

"Kosuke." She replied, fingers stroking the cold handle of the kunai in the pouch. The woman's head tilted to the side.

"And why would a young girl take a male name?" The old woman asked. Kosu's blood seemed to freeze in her veins.

"H-how?"

"I may be old but my eyes haven't failed me quite yet." She chuckled quietly.

"Just who are you?" Kosu narrowed her eyes.

"My name is Mito Uzumaki." She replied, stepping forwards and letting the light from the moon shine through the cracks in the ceiling and onto the black obi baring her clan's symbol.

"That's impossible." Kosu shook her head. The young girl had read about the wife of the First Hokage – no one could survive that long.

"Your shock is not surprising. I have lived an extraordinarily long life, even for an Uzumaki." She said. Even with the slight stoop to her spine the woman still seemed to hold an air of poise around her. This woman demanded respect and with how long she had survived Kosu was inclined to give it to her.

"Tell me child, why did you choose that mask?" She asked. Kosu blinked, words failing her briefly.

"The writings on the stones," She motioned to the moss covered stones in front of her. "It wasn't clear at first, but, that's the item they're on about." Her statement came out more as a question. Mito nodded. Kosu exhaled slowly. "A mask that connects to the dead."

Mito's eyes widened at the young girl's words before quickly being filled with poorly hidden intrigue and excitement. This girl had shown an aptitude for fūinjutsu that Mito had not seen in a long time.

"What do you know of fūinjutsu?" Mito asked.

"I've been taught of the basic scripts involved." She replied.

Mito raised a red brow. _Basic academy knowledge_.

"Would you like to know more?" She asked. Kosu blinked in surprise and found herself letting go of the kunai in her pouch. _More about sealing and summoning_. She had to admit the ability to store and retrieve an unlimited amount of things had great appeal to a child who had spent their entire life only managing that which she could carry.

"Yes." Kosu's voice was softer than she anticipated. "Although I feel I must warn you, I've not shown much aptitude for ninjutsu." Mito smiled.

"They are two separate disciplines." Mito said. "Mastery of fūinjutsu requires a very different skill set. Your ineptitude for ninjutsu may aid you." Mito moved so that she was stood in front of Kosu. "May I check?" she asked. Kosu hesitated, eyeing the woman shrewdly, before briefly inclining her head.

Kosu tensed the moment Mito's left hand began to glow green with chakra and hovered over her stomach, slowly her palm drifted up over Kosu's chest and down along each of her limbs. Distracted by the woman's palm, Kosu missed the shocked expression Mito pulled. The palm stopped glowing and Mito sighed.

"You struggle to manipulate chakra outside of your body." Mito stated rather than asked. Kosu blinked, nodding once.

That was exactly it. Whenever Daiki-sensei had her practise the clone jutsu, she could grasp and focus the energy within her, but the moment she tried to expel it to create the clone illusions the energy seemed to slip through her fingers like smoke.

"And have you ever been close to starvation?" Mito asked. Kosu raised an eyebrow. _More times than I can recall_.

"You know why I can't cast ninjutsu." Kosu said. Mito nodded.

"Are you aware of what happens to the body when a person is starving?" Mito asked. "It cannibalises itself, destroying fat, then muscle and converting them to energy. It is hypothesised, that if that process is allowed to go on, the next thing that the body destroys in order to create enough energy to survive is the chakra network."

"I have no chakra network." Kosu surmised, her lips pulling into a frown.

"You have a _damaged_ network," Mito corrected. "Where the average person has healthy vessels to conduct chakra through to surface of the skin and then use them to control the chakra outside of their bodies. Your vessels are leaky. You will never be able to manipulate chakra outside of your body." Mito stated. "But you may be able to let it flow out of you and into the kanji of a seal."

"Fūinjutsu." Kosu said.

"I will teach you. Return here tomorrow evening." Mito instructed. Kosu nodded.

"Yes sensei."

Kosu made it to the broken door of the shrine when she paused.

"Will you tell anyone that I'm a girl?" She asked. Mito shook her head.

"That is your secret to tell, not mine." Mito said. "Would you tell me why you disguise yourself as a boy?"

Kosu exhaled slowly.

"Women can be abused in ways I have never seen done to a man. I will not be abused that way." She replied, fists clenched. Kosu met Mito's gaze. "Is it obvious what I am?" _Are the others just playing along out of pity?_

"Even without the use of genjutsu, people often don't see what is really there." Mito replied. She paused, sadness claiming her face. "Fear of others should not have control over who you are."

Kosu frowned.

 _Fear is exactly what keeps you alive._

 ****hands up to some fanfiction poetic licence here - Firstly on the appearance off Mito Uzumaki. Who I researched to hell and could not find a death date for, only that "she lived well into the reign of the third Hokage" – so that's my argument for her appearing.  
And then also on Kosu's dodgy chakra network – I've made this bit of Naruto biology up based on my knowledge of human physiology in our universe. I think it sounds plausible.****

 **To LadyAmazon: Kosu does have a very interesting set of skills already, some of which have been explored in this chapter. I will also tease that in the next chapter her survival skills gets explored a little bit more with a bit more input from her classmates :D Thank you for your review and I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **To wyteeth: That's not bad at all haha and I can assure you that I aim to make Kosu's character development as believable as possible. I completely agree that for her personality to do a 180 and believe in the power of friendship overnight would be strange. So I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for your review.**

 **To Miss Luny: Thank you for the review and plenty of Kosu-Rin in the next chapter, I promise. There was a lot of setting up in this chapter which may or may not be obvious at the moment. Hope you're still enjoying the fic.**

 **To Kitca: Thank you! Unfortunately still no proper Kakashi-Kosu conversation, next chapter I promise! But! Massive clue as to her speciality. Thank you again for your review and I hope you continue to enjoy the fic.**

 **To Moonacre BunBun: Thank you for your review. I love to hear that people are getting emotionally behind my OCs, it makes my day :D and thank you! I find children super hard to write (part of me is just wishing I could write them as grown-ups already haha)**

 **To TheWick: Thank you for your review. Yes! I love it when people get invested in my OCs, means I'm doing an okay job haha. I hope the character building has continued to be believable in this chapter!**

 **To Badass anon: Bruhhhh thank you! You review put the most ridiculous grin on my face haha. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and continue to follow** _ **The Art of Survival**_ **.**

 **To LostPrincessHolly: haha, you latest comment had me grinning as well. And as an author on fanfiction I love getting feedback (constructive feedback haha) as it does genuinely help me develop my writing skills. So glad that you love the two sides of Kosu and that her softness towards Hiro adds rather than distracts from her character. And Kosu has plenty of weaknesses both physically and emotionally, and were explored in this chapter so I hope all of that was believable. My personal view is that by overcoming adversity you become stronger so with that I agree that Kosu has the potential to be a very skilled ninja. Also a relief to hear that the canon characters are in character, the child versions of them are so hard to write! Haha Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **To Prufrock: Thank you for your review! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **To curlystruggle: :D I'm giving nothing away other than that I smiled cheekily when I read your comment! Haha Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **To the Guest from 13/1/17: Thank you for reviewing and I hope you enjoyed this chapter**

 **To Anon: Seriously dude, thank you for such a wonderful review! Firstly, I agree KakashiOC is a neglected category haha and I'm glad you're happy you clicked on the link! Kosu is almost entirely angst and repressed feelings and I'm glad to hear that her relationship with Hiro is going down well. Thank you for your comments on Kosu's first day at the academy as well. When I was planning the plot, that was the only way I could ever see it going down because mind-set wise Kosu is in a completely different place to them. And, yeah, there was never any mention of one-on-one tutoring at the academy when I researched it. The closest you get to it is parent-child teaching within the clans, but obviously Kosu has no clan. So I figured that tutoring at the academy would be it. Anywho, super happy you've enjoyed the fic so far. I hope this chapter didn't disappoint!**

 **To Gilyflower: Thank you for your review and here you go!**


	6. The Wilding

_**Disclaimer: Naruto is property of Masashi Kishimoto, not me. However, Kosu and Hiro are mine. Warning, possible themes of a dark, violent or suggestive nature and use of mature language as the story progresses… They're ninja after all.**_

 **Chapter 6**

 _ **The Wilding**_

Since her first encounter with Mito Uzumaki, Kosu had returned to the Uzumaki mask storage temple each evening. Often arriving long before the elderly woman and still managing to be surprised when the Uzumaki elder seemed to appear out of thin air. She no longer squeaked in surprise, but it was unnerving how the woman seemed to be able to move like a wraith.

Mito had always been pleasantly surprised to see Kosu already engrossed in fūinjutsu literature on her arrival, she knew from experience that it could be a dry topic to study.

It took only three training sessions with Kosu for Mito to know that her instinct had been correct. Kosu had a natural affinity to fūinjutsu - the theory of it at least. Where most would struggle to identify the pattern formed by and within the symbols, Kosu seemed to find it like it was her second nature, a gut instinct for the ebb and flow of the seals. Mito only hoped that Kosu's chakra network was functional enough to allow the child the manipulate the seals.

By their sixth night Mito had grown accustomed to the small nuances of Kosu's behaviour. The Uzumaki watched the girl fondly as her brow creased, the only outward sign of her increasing frustration at the seal in front of her. It was the most difficult seal Mito had challenged her with so far.

"You keep a very calm head." Mito commented, sipping her tea. It was the usual arrangement of their sessions. Mito and Kosu would sit around a small fire outside of the Uzumaki shrine. The elder woman would make tea whilst creating a series of seals for Kosu to comprehend. Sometimes it would reverse and Kosu would be tasked with writing seals for Mito to check. Kosu was still amazed with Mito's ability to simply glance at a seal that Kosu could spend hours on and understand it's very core instantly.

"Frustration is dangerous." Kosu replied. "It distracts." _It gets you killed._

Mito had drawn the comparison to Kushina before she could stop herself. How opposite they were, the red haired girl with a fiery temper to match would never sit so calmly whilst being beaten by a sheet of paper. There would have been shouting and raging long before this point. Mito adored her former pupil, but Kosu's cooler temperament was a pleasant change of pace. If Kushina was the fire, then Kosu was the ashes left after the blaze had died.

Kosu picked the seal up and turned it 90 degrees, hoping that a new angle would help. Her eyes widened and she quickly rotated it back 90 degrees and turned the paper over so she was facing the blank side of the parchment. She raised the seal up to the light and smirked as she could read the symbols through the paper. "It can be read backwards."

"Very good." Mito praised, taking the seal from the girl and handing her a cup of tea in its stead. Kosu had never had tea before; having been introduced to it by Mito she found she quite liked the subtle aromas. "You're making good progress." She sipped her own tea. Kosu raised her gaze from her cup and regarded Mito, inclining her head slightly.

Mito smiled faintly at the younger girl's subtle way of saying thank you.

 **X**

A week passed before Kakashi, Rin, Genma and Obito found themselves perched on a roof top overlooking their target once again - Kosuke. Just like before their classmate only had a kunai pouch and some rope on him as he headed once again to the main village gates. _What on earth is he doing?_

"He's about to leave." Rin whispered, her eyes not leaving Kosuke's back as he passed by the chunin guard.

"Silent pursuit." Kakashi warned.

"Ergh, we're wasting time." Obito whined. "We're going to lose him."

Kakashi sighed but took off from their position regardless. Naturally he took the point positon once again, Obito and Rin flanked him with Genma reliably covering the rear.

 **X**

Kosu sighed as she checked yet another empty snare. She was going to have to change their positions. Analytical eyes glanced around, the tracks that had been there when she had set the snare hadn't been reaffirmed. The creature – a badger most likely – wasn't passing through that spot anymore.

Nimble fingers deconstructed the snare and she quickly searched for a more appropriate spot to set up the trap. Once the snare was reset in a better position, she felt a shiver run down her spine.

Kosu's head rose and she inhaled deeply through her nose. The air was thick and felt almost static around her. Eyes turned upwards to the sky and she was unsurprised to see the same colour as her irises looming above her. The birds fell silent around her and the wind whipped through the tops of the trees. _There's a storm coming._

She immediately considered making a dash back to Konohagakure. That was quickly dismissed when she evaluated the distance. _Wait it out_. With that decided, she darted quickly from her position to a hollowed out cavern in the side of a small hill. She'd originally found the unusual structure on a previous hunting trip. Kosu had hoped that the rounded edges of the entrance meant a creature of some sort had dug it out and made a home for itself – an easy kill if that was the case. On closer inspection there were no signs of an animal and the unusual hollow was most likely caused by a jutsu of some kind.

Kosu stood at the lip of the hollow entrance and watched as multiple streaks of lightening illuminated the sky. Crashes of thunder soon followed with barely a second between the light and sound. Then the rain – sheet rain – falling so fast the ground couldn't absorb it quickly enough and a layer of water formed on the forest floor. She retreated to the back of the cavern, pleased with her decision to take shelter.

The sounds of the ongoing storm formed a lullaby for Kosu, so when shouts and cries were carried brokenly on the wind her eyes narrowed. Returning to the mouth of the hollow she peered out, confusion quickly colouring her features as she spotted the distinct white head of Kakashi. Beside him Rin was crouched over Obito who was collapsed on the forest floor. Genma was stood a few feet from Kakashi clutching his left arm to his chest protectively. Kosu raised an eyebrow. _Those idiots are going to get themselves killed_.

From her vantage point she could see the pure terror on Rin's face. She was shouting to Kakashi and Genma, wind whipping the wet tendrils of hair around her face and her pale hands clutched Obito's prone form. Kakashi shouted back to her over the storm, trying desperately to take control.

 _Idiots_. Kosu shook her head and turned back into the cavern.

There was another massive flash of lightening, but it was Rin's piercing scream following it that had Kosu frozen in her retreat. Hiro appeared in front of her mind's eye and that sick feeling churned in her stomach once again. She turned back around, looking down at her classmates huddled beneath her.

"Damn it." She hissed. Kosu picked up a small black stone by her foot and threw it at Kakashi. It hit his back, square between his shoulders.

Kakashi whipped around, startled and wide eyed. His gaze found Kosu and he swallowed thickly. The lowest ranked ninja in their class looked anything but weak. How could they? High and dry, looking down on the four of them bumbling around in the rain and mud. Kosu turned and disappeared into the cavern the others hadn't even realised was there.

Rin appeared first at the mouth of the hollow first, supporting Genma who had his right arm slung across her shoulders. Kakashi appeared next carrying Obito on his back. Kosu's head tilted to get a better view of the small bruising lump on Obito's temple. At the slight movement her three conscious classmates turned to look at her, shifting on their feet uncomfortably. Dark clothes against a dark cave wall only worked to emphasise the haunted stare on Kosu's face.

Genma swallowed thickly as he saw Kosu's gaze lower to assess his injured left arm. He struggled to tell whether Kosu was concerned that he was injured, or if he was considering how much of an easier target Genma would be.

A groan from Obito broke the stillness.

Kosuke sighed and walked over to Kakashi. His shoulders tensed as she extended a hand towards him, but it was Obito's chin that she grasped. She didn't even glance at Kakashi as she tilted Obito's head to gain a better view of the injury. His goggles had been removed, held desperately by Rin, allowing Kosu to gently pull back on Obito's eyelids. _Pupils equal and reactive._

"He's going to get cold." She frowned. Unimpressed eyes glanced over all four of them, soaked through. "You all are." _Idiots_. It was Rin's large pleading eyes that had Kosu's hard frown softening. With a sigh she jerked her head towards the back of the cave. Kakashi let go of the breath he hadn't realised he was holding when Kosu stepped away from him. Rin stepped passed him, following Kosu without hesitation.

Kakashi let Obito down from his back and Rin was immediately by the black haired boys side. Cold hands cupped his head gently. Kakashi felt sick to his stomach. He was the leader of their team, he was responsible for their welfare. Yet as he looked to Obito, laid prone and unconscious and then Genma, left arm damaged he realised just how much he failed them.

"In the storm, there was a tree, it hit him, h-he's not woken up." Rin babbled as Kosu moved around the three of them.

"Rin, sit over there with Obito on your lap." Kosu ordered not acknowledging the girl's babblings. "Rin!" She said more forcefully when she continued to mumble more to herself than anyone in particular.

"Don't shout at her." Genma snapped. "What the hell are you doing anyway?" he glowered motioning with his right hand to the earth and foliage she was gathering into a large pile. Kakashi watched Kosu with growing intrigue.

"Kakashi, Genma, do the same and sit next to them." She ordered.

"Hay I ask y-" Genma stopped when Kakashi placed a hand on his arm.

"Let's just see what he plans to do." Kakashi said.

Rin had already shifted so that Obito was sat in her lap. Genma sat down next to Rin. He and Kakashi looked away awkwardly when the smaller of the two sat down on Genma's lap. Confusion decorated all of their faces when Kosu began piling the earth, foliage and moss around the four of them.

"Kosuke?" Rin asked.

"What are you doing?" Kakashi asked, pushing the earth she put on him off. Kosu exhaled heavily, not pausing in her task for a second.

"Hypothermia will kill you." She said bluntly. Kakashi frowned, that wasn't an explanation.

"So we make a fire." Genma stated, pushing the mud off of himself.

"Everything is soaked." Kosu frowned. _Idiot._ "Your bodies are good sources of heat though. This," She motioned to the layer of earth and moss, "will keep the heat around you." Kakashi blinked in surprise. _That was genius_. "Now sit still."

Kosu didn't stop until the four were almost completely covered in earth and moss. She stepped back and appraised her handwork. They were a miserable sight, but at least they were warm and miserable. She sat down a few feet from them and tucked her knees up to her chest.

"What about you?" Kakashi asked. Kosu's brown pinched slightly in confusion.

"What about me?" She asked.

"Won't you be cold?" Rin asked in concern.

"I'll be fine." Kosu said, turning her head to look back out through the mouth of the cave. Lightening lit the sky once again and threw shadows across Kosu's face. "I didn't get wet."

"Oh." Rin looked down, her cheeks flushing.

"Just ignore him." Genma huffed. Frustrated all the more when his body actually started to feel slightly warmer and he stopped shivering.

Kosu sighed. _The cavern was more peaceful before_.

"How did you know about all of this?" Kakashi asked. Kosu's head tilted slightly to the side. "This cavern, how to use the dirt and moss?" her head straightened.

"I found this place a few weeks back." She replied. "And I've been cold and wet before." She added dryly.

She and Hiro had been so cold they felt their very bones had turned to ice. Too many nights the siblings had been just like Rin and Obito. Hiro would sit in Kosu's lap and she would surround the pair with as much dirt, foliage and moss she could gather, anything to insulate them from the cold. Though where she and Hiro had been forced into an unstable life in the wilderness, these four had stepped willingly. A frown pulled at her mouth.

"What are you doing out here" Kosu asked. Silence

"We followed you." Rin admitted. Kosu raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "We wanted to be friends, so we followed you. And then when you left the village we… we were concerned." That sick feeling was creeping back into the pit of her stomach.

"Your concern is unnecessary." Kosu replied, looking down at her hands.

"You're so rude!" Genma snapped. "You should be nice to Rin. She's the only one willing to even try to talk to a piece of cheating scum like you."

Sharp eyes snapped to Genma. _Ignorant and naïve_. She scoffed and turned her head away. _Fucking child_.

"What _do_ you do when you leave the village?" Kakashi asked, breaking the silence that had fallen.

"Hunt." Kosu shrugged.

"Hunt? For what? Animals?" Rin asked. Kosu nodded. "Why?"

"To eat." Kosu replied, the answer obvious.

"But we have a butchers," Rin's brow pinched "Just last week Goro's had this massive, delicious ham joint." Kosu stared at Rin, bewildered. _Did she think the animals just threw themselves on Goro's blade?_

A groan from Obito stopped Kosu before she could address Rin's naivety. Slowly his dark eyes fluttered open.

"Rin." He murmured dreamily.

"Obito!" She beamed down at him. The black haired boy blinked a few more times and glanced around.

"Rin. Where are we? Why are we covered in dirt?" He asked and attempted to brush it off. Rin's hands grasped his and a blush quickly decorated the Uchiha's cheeks.

"The earth is insulating us, keeping us warm." Rin explained. "And we're in a cavern outside of the village." Obito eyed the DIY insulation realising that the unusual material was actually keeping his own body heat around him.

"Let me guess, it was Kakashi's idea." Obito asked with a frown.

"Er no, Kosuke's actually."

"Huh?" Obito lifted his head and caught sight of their runt of a classmate sat a few meters away. "Oh." He blinked and quickly leant back down. "Guess we're following him a bit too closely huh." Obito grinned cheekily causing Rin to chuckle.

"Just a bit." Rin giggled. Her eyes ran over Obito's face and the smile quickly left her face at the sight of the bruise forming on his forehead. "How's your head?"

"Don't worry about me." Obito smiled, desperate to chase the worried expression from Rin's face.

"You make it hard not to." Rin smiled weakly. Obito blushed and looked down, suddenly very interested in the piece of moss in front of him.

Kakashi hadn't taken his eyes off of Kosu. There was something different about him and he was racking his brain trying to identify it. He was still as bruised and scraped as usual, the same baggy dark clothes were used to hide the extent of his beatings. _His face?_ He noted that Kosu's face wasn't baring any fresh bruises, only the faded yellows and greens from days previously. _It's more than that_. His brow pinched. He couldn't pinpoint one single difference.

Thunder clapped, so loud it felt directly above them.

 _There_.

Whereas Rin had flinched and clutched to Obito at the sound, Kosu had exhaled almost blissfully. In fact, sat in the dark cavern out of the village with a storm over the top of them, Kosu was more relaxed that Kakashi had ever seen him. He hadn't noticed until he had something to compare it to, but Kosu was a coiled spring in the village, wound up and uncomfortable. Yet, out in the wild, he was at ease.

"My parents are going to be so worried." Rin said sadly.

"My grandmother." Obito looked outside the cavern sadly. All four of them thought about their families and the worry they must be putting them through. "Maybe we could travel back?" The question hung in the air and the four glanced at each other, four pairs of eyes then turned to Kosu.

She raised an eyebrow.

"Should we go?" Rin asked. Kosu sighed and shrugged.

"I'm not going to stop you from leaving." Kosu said. Genma scoffed.

"How like you to only look out for yourself." He said bitterly. Kosu's nostrils flared.

"You're not my responsibility. Grow up." She had already gone out of her way to show them where they could find shelter.

"Hay-"

"Leave it Genma." Kakshi sad calmly. "We'll stay and head back to the Village when Kosu does."

"Why the hell are we following the outsider?" Genma asked harshly, earning himself a glare from Rin. Kosu clenched her teeth and turned to look back out at the rain. "Kakashi you're the best in the class come on."

"We're not in a classroom Genma." Kakashi pointed out. The statement caught Kosu's attention. Her head tilted as she regarded the masked boy in front of her. _Not so naïve._ "Kosuke has been through this before." Kosu blinked in surprise.

"How do you know what Kosuke's done? He doesn't talk to anyone." Obito asked.

"Did you make friends?" Rin asked happily. Kakashi shook his head.

"It's obvious." He turned to Kosu, "From the way you hunt, knowing how to keep warm without a fire, even how you've acted in this storm. It's like you welcome it." She swallowed thickly. "You've been through his before."

She nodded. The sick feeling was back.

"I lived like this before arriving at Konohagakure, surviving off of the land" She said quietly. _Until we tried to live off of the wrong land_. She thought back to the vicious deer in the Nara forest.

"Your parents…" Obito trailed off. He suspected Kosu was an orphan and being an orphan himself he knew how hard talking about it could be, especially if their passing was recent.

"Dead." Kosu finished for him. "Along with our town. So we left it behind."

"Kosuke, that's horrible." Rin said sadly. Even Genma felt for the outsider – even just a little bit.

Kosu shrugged. _That's life_.

"'We'?" Kakashi asked. "You said 'we left it behind'."

"My brother, Hiro." Kosu tried to swallow down the uncomfortable churn rising from her stomach. _Why do they care?_ "You four should try and get some rest, the storm will last the night." And with that she turned away from them, promptly ending any further questions.

 **X**

Mito's frown was reflected in the dark surface of her tea. Dark blue eyes scanned the open area outside of the Uzumaki mask temple. The rain was falling thick and heavy, but she didn't expect it to have put off her most dedicated student. _So where has the child gone?_

The liquid in her hands was stone cold and barely touched. Worry gnawed at the back of her mind. Mito had known Kosu for just under a week, but that was long enough for Mito to feel responsible for Kosu's wellbeing. The child was like a tumour. She grew insidiously around the heart and by the time it was realised it was too late to do anything about it.

 **X**

Hiriko rubbed her eyes tiredly as she made her way to the front door of the orphanage. The lights were dimmed and the entire building silent. Hiriko loved all of the children under her care, but she had to admit she enjoyed the peace and quiet when they all went to sleep.

Opening the door there was a lone figure, their face obscured by the large white hood of their cloak – protection from the rain. The figure lifted their head and Hiriko gasped in surprise, quickly ushering the woman in out of the rain.

"Mito-sama, I'm sorry to keep you waiting in the rain." Hiriko apologised.

"It's okay Hiriko-san, I know my visit is unexpected." Mito smiled back at the woman, pulling the hood down off of her head.

"Is there anything I can do for you? Would you like some tea?" Hiriko flustered, unused to such high-ranking guests.

"Thank you, but I'm afraid I won't be staying that long." Mito said. "I believe you have a child named Kosuke under your care?" Hiriko nodded hesitantly. _What could Mito-sama possibly want with Kosuke?_ "I wish to see him."

"O-of course." Hiriko nodded, "Follow me."

The two women arrived outside of apartment 2C, knocking on the black door. Mito's keen ear could hear shuffling feet from the other side. The lock on the door clicked and was opened to reveal a small blonde haired child glad in baggy pyjamas.

"Hiro-kun, sorry to wake you." Hiriko apologised. "But I have a very important lady here who wants to speak to your brother."

"I'm sorry, Kosu's not here." Hiro said. The brows of both women furrowed. "He left to go hunting early." Hiriko's eyes widened.

"You mean he's out in this storm!" Panic hit Hiriko like she'd been thrown into a cold bath.

"You don't need to worry Hiriko," Hiro smiled. "Kosu will be fine, he always is."

"I need to report this." Hiriko flustered. "Akira-chan can manage here." She was muttering more to herself, ignoring Hiro's protests that Kosu would be fine and back when the storm ends.

Mito glanced out of the apartment window, lightening darting cross the sky. _How adapted to the wild are you?_

 **X**

"Fugaku-sama, there's another missing child."

Fugaku's brow furrowed.

That made it five reported missing children and their search efforts across the village had yielded nothing. The storm was rendering most of their search tactics useless.

More concerning, one of their own was amongst the missing. Obito Uchiha, whilst not in current possession of the sharingan, was still a likely candidate to unlock it. _Was someone after the Uchiha eyes?_

On top of that the Hatake boy had also disappeared, another noteworthy clan name, and Sakumo wasn't short on enemies. The White Fang of Konoha was as feared as the three great sanin and his son, Kakashi, was a prime route to get to him.

The other two Genma Shiranui and Rin Nohara were talented children, but not of the same calibre and blood as Kakashi and Obito. Maybe they had been used as a forensic counter measure, to make it look like the assailant wasn't targeting clan children.

"Who?" Fugaku asked.

"Kosuke." The officer replied. "A refugee at the orphanage, Hiriko-san reported his absence. She claims he left the village earlier today to go hunting and as not returned."

"What do we know of this refugee?" Fugaku asked. _Is he a spy?_

"Very little. He was found in the Nara forest with his brother around 2 months ago. The pair were placed under Hiriko'san care and Kosuke began studying at the ninja academy." The officer paused as he stepped forward and offered a folder of papers to Fugaku, "I have his academic transcript so far."

Fugaku took the documents and thumbed through them quickly. _Unremarkable. Below average. Unimpressive._ Everything a sleeper agent, wishing to go unnoticed, would strive to be.

"Thank you, go and assure the parents we're doing everything we can. I need to inform the Hokage." Fugaku ordered, pulling a cloak on over his police force uniform. "And don't let them know we think the children may be outside of the village." Fugaku added. Sakumo Hatake was already running across the village with his ninja hounds in search of his son. Fugaku didn't need another man going missing outside of the village boundaries. 

**To LostPrincessHolly: Thank you for your review. I'm happy that the 'damaged chakra network' concept has gone down well I got inspiration for it when I was re-watching the Naruto-Kakuzu fight and he shreds Kakuzu and damages his own arm. And I get what you mean! I feel the anime is kind (probably intentionally) vague about chakra and how it works haha, but I guess that means there's plenty of room for poetic licence. I'm just so happy that my patch work attempt of pulling it all together has impressed you :D I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!**

 **To Kitca: Many more canon characters in this chapter in rather extreme conditions so I hope they seemed in character :D It's so good to hear that you're interested in Kosu's back story! It'll probably be fed in dribs and drabs rather than just dumping it on you in one go BUT I do have her and Hiro's origin story all planned out. I did it as part of the preparation for writing this so I'm looking forward to sharing it with you!**

 **To LadyAmazon: I know right! Don't worry he will make more than just a cameo appearance! Those fūinjutsu users have to stick together! Haha**

 **To wyteeth: Yay! Kosu has fans! I'll admit I've never seen a fic that uses Mito either, but she's such a cool kunoichi I'm really excited to use her. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **To OneWhoReadsTooMuch: Ah! Real life Kosu that's so cool :D And you're so right, Kosu has been thrown into a harsh world and adapted in order to survive it. I really wanted this chapter to show off a little more of that so I hope it has! And like I said in an earlier review reply, Minato won't have just a cameo appearance, fūinjutsu users together-forever and all ;)**

 **To Kyrie Twilight: Thank you! I hope you continue to enjoy the fic**

 **To TheWick: Thank you! And so do I haha, I feel like it's such an under used technique. I have a plan for how Kosu is going to use sealing so I hope you approve when it all gets revealed!**

 **To curlystruggle: Yay, thank you! I'm so happy Mito has gotten such a good reaction! Hope you enjoyed this chapter**

 **To lizyeh2000: Thank you and thank you! Here's your update!**

 **To ZippyZappy: Gah! Thank you :D I too share your guilty pleasure in OCs haha. This chapter had some more Rin interactions for you so I hope you enjoyed them… as for Obito, I think he's quite happy in Rin's lap for now! Haha**

 **To Anon: Ah thank you! I was there for hours trying to pin down exactly what happen to Mito and suspected that she may have died when passing on the ninetails… but in the end I was just thought f*** it, this is fanfiction and my plot, I want her haha. I hope she proves to be an interesting character for you all to read. I feel like she is sorely neglected in the anime, manga and on fanfiction. I hope you've enjoyed where Rin and the three little jerks (that comment had me howling haha) saga has gone… It may be a little predictable, but… as well. Hope you enjoyed it either way. As for Kosu still hunting, when I thought about her character it seemed obvious that she still would go and hunt. She spent over a year being completely independent – that's hard to give up… Plus a super large village would freak her the hell out haha. So happy you enjoyed the tibit about only killing what you can carry! :D I was tempted to put in the scene with Kosu going at it with Hiriko but edited it out in the end as it didn't fit properly. Don't worry, there will be fireworks eventually and you can see another side to Kosu, think angry lion mother haha. And I agree, Hiro is just adorable, like my heart swells when I write about him haha. Well, thank you again I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **To Guest from 18/1/17: Thank you! I'm so glad that main premise of my plot is an appealing one, and I agree I've rarely seen it done! It's so good to hear that you think I'm portraying a refugee with Kosu's background believable. And thank you for reviewing the summary. I find them ridiculously hard to write haha Hope you enjoyed this chapter**

 **To Mirinae: WOW! Hoy crap so much review! So much love! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Here is another chapter with plenty of Kosu and her interacting! It's great to hear that I'm writing Kosu's character believably. Her lifestyle was unlike all of her classmates have even considered so it's been interesting writing children from both sides. And exactly! That pretty much summarises Kosu, she's not the strongest or quickest but is very, very good at just doing anything she needs to in order to survive – a product of her background. I'm in this story for the longhaul and slow burn so brace yourself now this is going to be journey, I'm so happy to hear that you're looking forward to following Kosu's journey!  
It's really good to hear appreciation for showing the darker aspect of shinobi life. I feel fanfics can often overlook this. **

**Yay! You also see the irony in Kosu's peers hating on her for using tactics they're later going to have to employ haha. I think there will definitely be a time for all of her classmates when they resort to underhanded tactics and think of Kosu as they do so haha. Whether it makes it into** _ **the Art of Survival**_ **or not I'm not 100% sure yet.  
Yes! Yes! A Naruto-fanfic-writers dream review! You have no idea how reassuring it is to hear that Kosu appears to be balanced, not over or under powered. It's so easy to slip into Mary-Sue-dom. I put so much thought and planning into my OCs abilities and I really hope I can continue to make Kosu's abilities believable. Haha, writing the hog scene was one of my favourites so far haha, I'm glad it went down well. I mentioned in another review that Minato will be more than just a cameo role. And Mito's lessons will be interesting for sure! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! **

**To skyspica: Thank you for the review and here you go!**

 **To Nelly: Gah! Thank you! I too am also tentative when starting OC fics so I'm so pleased to hear that you're enjoying the story so far. There is a massive lack of KakashiXOC fics out there! One of my main goals for this fic is to NOT make Kosu a Mary-Sue… that would be my worst nightmare haha. I go to great lengths to work out exactly what abilities are and aren't realistic for Kosu, and then do the same for her weaknesses as well haha.  
I'm always looking for a good fic to read would you mind messaging me the title of the KakashiXOC fic?  
As for when I post I am for weekends. Life occasionally gets in the way… but yeah. I aim for weekends. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. **

**To MoonacreBunBun: Holy crap. Best review ever hahaha. You've literally summed up all of the things you're going to need as we go through this fic haha. I'm in this story for the longhaul and slowslowburn and all of the torment and triumphs along the way. I mean we haven't even gotten to Kakashi's douche phase yet haha Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **To Sketchbananafairy: yay! Thank you, hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **To DreamerNightingale: Thank you! Hope you enjoyed the chapter**

 **To Zilcho: Thank you and thank you! I'm so glad that you like the fact that Kosu comes from a very normal civilian family. And yes! Coming from outside is definitely hard for her… In the anime the children were horrible to Kushina, so I figured Kosu would face exactly the same problem. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**


	7. Lesson No 1 - Revised

_**Disclaimer: Naruto is property of Masashi Kishimoto, not me. However, Kosu and Hiro are mine. Warning, possible themes of a dark, violent or suggestive nature and use of mature language as the story progresses… They're ninja after all.**_

 **Chapter 7**

 _ **Lesson No 1 – revised**_

The storm ended in the early hours of the following morning, dark greys were replaced with the dark pinks of the rising sun. The air still felt thick and damp, but the static charge had gone. Looking out of the entrance of the cavern she inhaled deeply, the rich aroma of damp wood and earth overwhelmed her. The birds had returned to the sky making Kosu smile weakly.

She woke Kakashi first, placing a hand on his shoulder and squeezing softly. Dark eyes snapped open and immediately found her face. _Had Kosuke slept at all?_

"We should be moving." She said quietly, her voice throaty having not been used in so long. Kakashi cleared his throat, nodding. Kosuke left the white haired boy to wake his peers, the four of them shaking the mud and moss from their clothes.

"It gets everywhere." Rin frowned, running her hands through her short brown hair. The bright eyed girl glanced around the cavern. "Where's Kosuke?"

"Huh?"

"He's waiting for us outside." Kakashi replied. "We should go." He added, choosing to ignore Genma's murmur of,

"He's probably left us."

"Morning Kosuke." Rin smiled pleasantly at the small boy. Kosu turned to face her four peers as they emerged from the hollow, inclining her head and a weak smile tugging at the corner of her lips. _She's a lot like you Hiro_. The comparison was made before Kosu could help it and warning bells shot off in the back of her mind.

"Ergh." Obito groaned as he stepped forward into the small clearing in front of the hollow. His hand ran over his stomach and he could feel the vibrations of it growling beneath his palm. "Has anyone got any food, I'm starving."

"Sorry Obi-"

"You're not." Kosu said, voicing what would normally be an inward thought. Obito looked at her a little startled. "You're not starving." She repeated, her eyes left Obito's in favour of turning to the surrounding forest. "You're hungry."

 _There's a difference._

The four stared at Kosu's back, frozen to the spot as his tone left no doubt that he was speaking from experience. Even Genma found his tongue seemed to sit heavily in his mouth.

"Kosuke." Rin murmured softly. Her brown eyes drawn to Kosu's fists, clenched so hard they were shaking.

Kosu found her shoulders tensing at the girl's soft tone. _She doesn't care._ She snapped at herself. 

"The Village is this way." Was all Kosu said, ignoring Rin completely as she started towards the forest.

 **X**

"This could get very messy Hiruzen." Danzo frowned at Hiruzen's back. "Four missing children, two of them clan born and one an Uchiha."

The Third Hokage exhaled heavily, pipe in his hand as he stood by the window of his office. From his vantage point he could see the four-man search team departing the village. Naturally, Sakumo had insisted he be a part of the squad, and with the keen nose of his canine summons Yuki, Hiruzen found it hard to oppose him.

"The boy should have been vetted more thoroughly." Danzo continued.

"What would you suggest?" Hiruzen asked lowly. He turned to look back over his shoulder, glancing at his old friend. "That every refugee gets handed over to T&I?"

Danzo's silence gave Hiruzen the answer he suspected. _Yes…_

"I met the boy." Hiruzen continued, only his eyes showed the evidence of his internal conflict. _Was he wrong about Kosuke and Hiro?_

Before Danzo and Hiruzen could discuss the matter further there was a knock at the office door.

"Mito-sama," Hiruzen greeted, turning fully as the elderly woman entered the room. The sentiment was echoed by Danzo.

"Hokage-sama, Danzo-san." Mito greeted in return.

"It's a rare pleasure to have you visit my office." Hiruzen said politely.

He would always hold Mito Uzumaki in high regard. Not only was she a fierce kunoichi in her own right and the widow of the First Hokage. She had been a close friend and confidant ever since Hiruzen had taken the role of Hokage.

"It's hard to ignore talk of abducted children." Mito replied. Hiruzen frowned, the rumour mill of the Village did more harm than an armed invasion sometimes.

"I have my doubts that that is the case." Hiruzen admitted.

Danzo glared at the Hokage. _Is he that desperate to see the good in people that he'd invent it?_

"As do I." Mito agreed.

"Mito-sama, I doubt the rumour mill has revealed all of the details." Danzo raised an eyebrow challengingly.

"The refugee, Kosuke. That's the child you suspect has managed to kidnap four other children." Mito levelled Danzo with a steely gaze. "We've met on several occasions and he's shown an aptitude for fūinjutsu." She continued, leaving both men to blink at her in surprise. "He's my student and I want to ensure that on his return from a _simple hunting trip_ he isn't thrown to your wolves."

Her gaze finally left Danzo and returned to Hiruzen. Mito's keen eyes didn't miss the small upward tug at the corners of the Hokage's mouth. He hid the smile quickly by taking a deep inhale from his pipe.

"I've just dispatched the search team. You're welcome to wait here. Would you like some tea?" Hiruzen asked. Mito's smiled and inclined her head to answer yes.

"Danzo?" Hiruzen asked.

"I'm afraid I have other matters to attend to, Hokage-sama, Mito-sama." Danzo replied and left the room, his clenched fists hidden by his long sleeves.

Left in the office, Hiruzen poured Mito's tea into a simple, yet elegant cup.

"Thank you," She accepted the steaming beverage.

"Thank you." Hiruzen said. Mito waited for him to elaborate. "I was beginning to doubt my own judgement of the boy." Hiruzen frowned into his tea. "I make decisions every day that affect the lives of everyone in Konoha. I fear the day I make a mistake. That Kosuke and his brother may be a mistake."

Mito's wrinkled hand, warmed by the tea cup, wrapped around Hiruzen's. The affect was instant, her touch was grounding and reassuring, like a mother taking her child's hand before crossing a road.

"That fear means that you're the right person for this job." She assured him. "As for Kosuke, whilst he is rather uncouth, he's not a mistake."

Hiruzen exhaled, a weight seemed to leave him as he did so. He squeezed Mito's hand in thanks and allowed her to return to cupping her tea. A moment of comfortable silence passed between the two old friends.

"I have to admit," Hiruzen began, "I am surprised that you've taken on another pupil."

Mito's lips quirked upwards. _So am I._

"It wasn't planned." Mito admitted. "I thought, being as old as I am and having seen as many generations as I have, that I had passed on my will of fire." Mito smiled fondly. "It burns so brightly in Kushina after all."

"Indeed it does." Hiruzen smiled.

"But I can't ignore this child, Hiruzen." Mito admitted. "And I won't die peacefully until I've passed my will of fire to him." Mito paused and looked out over the forest. _Kosu was out there, hunting and being hunted_. "Kosuke deserves it more than most."

 **X**

Kosu took the point position and it didn't escape her attention that Kakashi subtly rounded the others into an escort formation. He organised it so that Kosu, Rin and Kakashi formed a triangle with Obito and Genma in the centre. Even going as far as to ensure that Obito stood on Genma's left, his weaker side since his left arm had been injured. _Definitely not an idiot._

The five children trekked through the forest. Kosu had asked them twice to be more quiet on their feet before realising that the loud crunching beneath their sandal _was_ their version of quiet. The extra noise put Kosu on edge, she knew that there were predators in the area. She'd seen the evidence of wolf kills.

Realising they were a lost cause, Kosu focussed her efforts on listening for any abnormal sounds. She missed Hiro. He was her ears whenever they travelled.

Her hearing paled in comparison to his, which was why she missed the two wolves circling around them. She didn't notice them until the large black and white canine leapt from the surrounding plants straight at her, teeth bared and growl rumbling from deep within it.

Rin screamed.

Obito gasped.

Genma swore.

Kakashi's hand went to his thigh, where his kunai pouch should have been, if only he had worn it. His eyes widened as a second wolf emerged from the bushes, stalking towards the masked boy.

A switch seemed to flick in Kosu's head and her eyes narrowed. Her hand pulled two kunai from her pouch, palming one to her left hand. She threw the kunai in her right hand, handle-first, with pin-point accuracy to Kakashi. At the same time, she thrusted her left hand out and met the mouth of the wolf lunging at her.

The cold metal drove up through the bottom of the wolfs jaw passing all the way through until the tip of the kunai was visible behind the black nose the dog. Its growl turned to yelps and whimpers of pain. It's bright blue eyes met Kosu's and the beast's fear was obvious. Pulling a third kunai from the pouch she wasted no time in stabbing the beast through the eye.

The heavy weight of the wolf fell to the floor. Kosu pulled the kunai from the dead beast and turned, her brow furrowing at the site before her.

Kakashi had been knocked to the floor, a gash on his forearm. The wolf she had expected him to kill was lunging at Rin, who was crying.

"Rin!" Obito bellowed, stumbling over his own feet in an attempt to get to her.

Genma reacted instinctively and since he was without a weapon he used what he had around him. With his uninjured arm he took a handful of wet earth and threw it at the wolf lunging for Rin. The mud hit the beast in the eyes causing it to falter. The brown haired boy gasped as two kunai flew past his head and sunk into the eyes of the wolf. The furry beast dropped dead.

"Rin!" Obito was at the shaking girl's side, hugging her tightly.

Kosu straightened from her slight crouch and met Genma's gaze when he turned to look at her, having tracked the trajectory of the kunai back to her. Her eyes drifted down to his muddy palm and she raised an eyebrow.

Genma swallowed thickly as she walked towards him, tensing as she passed him by and spoke.

"There's no such thing as a cheat shot, Genma."

The words echoed in his head and he vividly remembered Kosuke uttering the same words to him after their first spar all those weeks ago. He hadn't understood back then but he did now.

 _They either hit or they don't._ Genma finished as Kosu passed him by. _He'd been such a child!_ He turned and watched as Kosu crouched by the wolf and pulled the kunai from its head. He'd thought Kosu acted differently because he was an outsider, an outsider who didn't knoew any betster. But that wasn't the case at all, Kosu knew better than anyone. _I've been such an idiot._

Kosu frowned as she saw the kunai she'd thrown to Kakashi embedded into the muscly shoulder of the wolf. _That wasn't a killing strike_. With narrowed eyes she looked over to the masked boy, fists clenched and troubled eyes revealed the inner argument he was experiencing.

Her narrowed eyes widened. _He hesitated._ Of course he had. Kakashi had to have had an opportunity to kill the wolf, but when it came to actually taking a life he'd faltered. His hand clasped the oozing gash on his arm. Hesitation had cost him.

 **X**

Sakumo's heart was in his mouth.

Yuki, his large white almost wolf-like ninken had picked up Kakashi's scent easily enough. They had been in luck. The heavy rain had wiped all scent from the ground but the wind had carried the smallest traces of it in their direction. Yuki was far too familiar with Kakashi's scent to ignore it.

Their party of four had been quick to begin their pursuit. They were almost there when a scream had chilled their very cores. A scream of pure fear from a young girl – Rin.

Yuki was first into the clearing and immediately under attack. A single kunai was thrown at the giant white dog.

"Yuki." Kakashi was startled from his inner argument as an all too familiar dog appeared.

Kosu had simply reacted and immediately went for what she believed to be another wolf. Yuki snarled and retaliated in kind towards Kosu.

"Wait!" Kakashi found his voice, fumbling slightly to his feet and darting between the two.

Kosu's eyes widened as Kakashi forced himself between her and the white wolf, forcing herself to stop. _What the hell was he doing?_ She frustrated grabbed the two tails of his scarf and pulled the boy behind. The white wolf snapped its teeth at her actions and crouched ready to jump.

"Yuki." Sakumo entered the clearing. Yuki held back on her attack, teeth still bared at Kosu. Kosu snarled back in return, kunai firmly gripped in her palms.

"Dad." Kakashi exhaled in relief, darting from behind Kosu. Sakumo welcomed his son, dropping to one knee and wrapping his large arms around him. His large hand cupped the back of Kakashi, fingers threading through soft hair.

"Kakashi." The white fang breathed.

Kosu swallowed thickly, she recognised the white haired man from her first day in Konoha – Sakumo they'd called him. Her heart rate rose further as three more ninja joined them. Two broke off and immediately went to Obito, Genma and Rin checking to see if there were any injuries that needed attending.

One remained, dark eyes fixed on Kosu.

"Drop the weapons boy." He ordered.

Kosu hesitated. _Don't trust him._

Konohagakure shinobi were supposed to be 'her allies now' - at least according to Daiki-sensei. Yet this man's tone set her on edge. She glanced between the wolf and the brown haired man. The emblem on his sleeve didn't escape her notice, a four-point star with a fan in the centre. _Uchiha_.

"It's okay Kosuke," Kakashi said. "Yuki is my dad's summons." He explained as he pointed to the wolf.

Kosu frowned, but lowered her hands to her sides. _It's not the wolf I'm worried about._ She slowly placed the kunai back in her pouch, not taking her eyes off of the Uchiha.

"Thank you. Now hand me your weapons pouch." Fugaku said. The demand had Kosu's shoulders tensing.

"Why?" She challenged. Sakumo stood, glancing wearily between Fugaku and Kosuke.

"You are to be taken into custody," Fugaku said. "Where you will be questioned regarding the alleged kidnapping of four Konohagakure citizens."

Kosu's eyes widened, immediately regretting putting her kunai away. _Idiot_. She cursed herself.

"What!" The question echoed from the mouths of Kosuke peers but it was Obito's voice that was the loudest.

"Fugaku-sama, Kosuke saved us." Obito said, peering around the ninja trying to assess his head. Fugaku glanced at Obito before sweeping his gaze over the two dead wolves, the array of injuries the children had amassed before returning his gaze to Kosu.

"He showed us shelter as well." Genma defended. "We'd probably be dead if it wasn't for him." Something quite warm swelled in Kosu's chest at Genma's words, warm and uncomfortable.

"What were you even doing out of the village?" Sakumo asked, brow furrowed.

"We'd seen Kosuke leaving the village before and followed him." Rin explained having calmed down. "He hasn't done anything wrong, please don't arrest him."

"And why do you leave the village?" Fugaku asked. The report had claimed a hunting trip of all things. The excuse had seemed unlikely given the academic level of the boy. But now that Fugaku had had the chance to observe Kosuke he was inclined to believe it.

"To hunt." Kosu explained. _Was the concept that foreign to these village-dwellers?_

"Fugaku-san," Sakumo addressed his comrade. "I'm not a member of the police force, but I see no reason for Kosuke to be taken into custody." Fugaku seemed to analyse Kosu for the longest time.

"I agree." He said eventually and the tension that had been building released. "Let's return to Konoha."

Kosu exhaled, her heart rate finally settling down.

She turned to look at the two dead wolves. _Such a waste to just leave them_. There was no way she could carry both of them, but even taking only one was better than leaving both.

"Kosuke?" Rin asked when she noticed Kosu hadn't moved.

"I'll catch up with you." Kosu said, stepping away from the group and towards the wolf.

"We may not be taking you into custody, but you still need to come with us." Fugaku frowned.

"What is it you need to do Kosuke?" Sakumo asked. Kosu looked turned to him, relieved to see he was genuinely asking and not merely pandering to her.

"It's a waste to just leave them here." She motioned with her hand to the dead animals. There was a mixture of brows furrowing and eyes widening.

"There will be other creatures who will appreciate this find, especially after such a storm." He reasoned. Kosu frowned. Of course she knew that, that was exactly why she should take them.

She looked back to the wolves. _She and Hiro did have enough food_. It was odd to admit it, since she couldn't recall the last time she and Hiro didn't have to fight to eat. But the pair of them were, dare she say it, _comfortable_. They didn't _need_ the wolf meet.

She deliberated for a moment but Kosu came around to Sakumo's suggestion. She would leave the meat there, help some other scavenging creature get by in the world.

Kakashi glanced between his father and Kosuke, brow furrowing slightly. For the first time in his life he felt _behind_ , like there was some secret that the pair knew and he didn't. An understanding that passed between the two and bypassed Kakashi entirely.

He stared at Kosu's back as she walked passed him. It didn't happen often, but there were moments just like this one, where it was hard to recognise Kosu as the lowest rank ninja of the class.

Kakashi swallowed thickly and glanced down to the cut on his arm, fist clenching in frustration.

Sakumo scratched the back of his neck. Inoichi was going to love hearing about this one. The Yamanaka had developed quite the interest in 'the deerstalker' and his interactions throughout the village. Sakumo suspected it was because Inoichi was curious by the thought processes and psyche of the young boy. This latest development was going to entertain the blonde man for a while.

 **X**

There was a group waiting for them when they arrived at the main gates. Word had obviously been sent ahead that they were returning.

A couple sets of parents welcomed Genma and Rin with cries of joyful relief. An elderly woman, adorned in Uchiha styled clothes had a similar reaction for Obito.

Once their initial exclamations of joy had passed the parents glanced over all of the children. They were all roughed up and ragged with a collection of injuries between them – all except Kosu. It didn't escape their notice that the smallest child looked like he'd merely been out for a stroll.

"Kosu!"

Kosu's brow furrowed and she turned. There's wasn't supposed to be anyone waiting for her. Hiro was the only one who cared and she had told him to wait at the orphanage for her. Yet there he was approaching her with a wide grin on his face with Hiriko a few paces behind him.

She met Hiro and opened her arms to let the happy boy hug her. Her hand cupped the back of his head.

"I told them there was no reason to worry." Hiro grinned as he pulled away from her. "You would everyone safe and you always come back."

An expression passed over Kosu's face that her classmates didn't think she was capable of. Kosuke was always frowns and seriousness, yet as she looked down at the blonde boy there was only gentleness and love. Kosuke had mentioned he had a brother, but even then it was hard to picture the boy interacting closely with anyone.

"Of course I come back." Kosu murmured.

Her eyes rose to Hiriko and narrowed. The busty woman wasn't greeting her with her usual wide smile. Instead she was staring at Kosu with poorly concealed fear. Warning bells rang distantly in the back of Kosu's mind. Whatever it was that had Hiriko looking at her in such a way she knew she wasn't going to like it. Kosu pulled Hiro a little closer and noted the discomfort increase in Hiriko.

"Can we go home?" Hiro asked. Kosu forced her attention away from Hiriko and turned to Fugaku, an eyebrow raising.

The Uchiha clan leader had been joined by a couple of other officers. They had been discussing matters since the group had passed under the arch of the gate.

Fugaku's lips pulled into a tight line but he nodded. Kosu inclined her head towards the man.

"Let's go little brother." Kosu took Hiro's hand in her own.

"Kosuke!" Rin's call stopped her. She turned around and immediately went like stone as Rin wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug. As quickly as she had engulfed Kosu, she let go. "Thank you," She uttered, a light dusting of pink decorating her cheeks. And like that she scarpered away, back to her parents.

Kosu's eyes were wide, blinking in surprise. _What the hell?_

Obito's jaw slackened, eyes wide. 

She probably would have stayed rooted to the spot if it wasn't for Hiro pulling lightly on her hand. She swallowed thickly and forced her legs to move.

"I'm happy you've found some friends." Hiro chirped from her side. Kosu's brow furrowed and she glanced back over her shoulder.

 _Friends?_

Kosu frowned. _Unlikely._

 **X**

Sakumo watched Kakashi wearily. The food in front of the young boy had barely been touched and Kakashi's gaze had barely moved from looking at the bandage on his arm.

The wound had been superficial, but there was obviously something about it that was affecting Kakashi.

"Kakashi?" Sakumo asked, concern lacing his soft tone.

Kakashi sighed and troubled eyes rose to meet his father's gaze.

"Do you ever hesitate?" He asked.

Sakumo didn't have to ask for clarification. His insides chilled. He knew exactly what Kakashi was asking. _Did he hesitate to kill?_

"No, not anymore." He replied honestly. Kakashi's brow furrowed and his gaze dropped back to his wounded arm. "Kakashi." Sakumo's warm hand found his son's shoulder. "I'd be more concerned if you didn't hesitate. No one your age should be used to taking lives."

His father's words helped him somewhat. But there was something that still pulled at his mind.

"Kosuke didn't hesitate."

 **To OneWhoReadsTooMuch: Thank you for your review and that is exactly what I was aiming for with Genma's character! Children are brats! I feel like that would be worse when faced with something they dodn't understand. In this case Genma didn't understand a lot of Kosu's reasoning and actions. Which is fair enough considering Genmas has had so little life experience. He still has a very idealised view of ninja. The impression I got from the anime was that a lot of the academy kids envision ninja as honourable samurai rather than actual shinobi. Anyway, I hope that this chapter has been a good one for you, there was lots of character development, particularly Genma. So happy that you like the Mito-Kosu scenes, there some of my favourites to write. And I agree I think it's important for Kosu to have someone she doesn't need to be anything around, someone she can just be herself to. I hope you liked this chapter!**

 **To December 25** **th** **: So much trouble haha, that's what you get when 2 clan kids go missing! As for Kosu knowing too much for her age… I've purposely been ambiguous with how old Kosu and Hiro actually are. The two have been malnourished (so are underdeveloped for their ages) and come from a life where birthdays and keeping track of their age isn't all that important. I also try to balance the skills/knowledge that Kosu has with those that she would realistically have picked up and honed in order to survive. Either she has and uses those skills or they would have died. That being said was there anything in particular that screamed unbelievable?**

 **To curlystruggle: Damn straight haha. Thank you for the review and I hope you enjoyed this chapter**

 **To LostPrincessHolly: yay! Thank you! I'm glad you like the whole 'Kosu is a secret spy come to steal the children' saga haha. It's been amusing to write if I'm honest haha. Silly paranoid ninja. And there was a lot more Kosu-canon character in this chapter, as confusing as those interactions are for poor Kosu haha. Thank you for you review, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **To SnowCatt: Thank you for the review! And whilst the accusation was there Fugaku is a good police officer haha. Although, I feel these events have firmly placed Kosu on Fugaku's radar.**

 **To lizyeh2000: Reunion complete! Thank you for the review Xx**

 **To Meiaideas: yay! So glad you like Kosu! And she is, rather heart-breakingly so since she's been forced to grow up waaaay too fast. It's good to hear that someone else enjoys Kosu's inner monologue as much as I do haha. And such a relief to hear that I'm balancing the skill level of all of the children somewhat accurately haha. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **To Kumikocr: Thank you! Hope you liked this chapter!**

 **To Guest from 22/1/17: Yay! Thank you! Hope you enjoyed this chapter**

 **To Sketchbananafairy: Thank you! Damn right he is! He may have been convinced this was all a misunderstanding, but Kosu is firmly planted on his radar now. As for Kosu's gender reveal, realistically yes Hiro will find out… But I don't want to spoil too much more! Hope you enjoyed this chapter**

 **To MusicOfMadness: Awww! I aim for weekly updates if that makes you feel any better! Some Kosuke butt kicking in this chapter and absolutely owning a bad situation haha. And it is frustrating how the others talk to Kosu, but I feel she acts much more like an adult in those situations and doesn't rise to it. Anyway, I feel like after their little excursion they children will certainly be looking at Kosu differently! Hope you enjoyed this chapter**

 **To wyteeth: Have no fear! Kosu may not realise it but she does have some people amassing in her corner! And I agree the children are little shits… but I feel like being as ignorant as they are that's actually fairly common. Konoha children have a habit of being that way :/ I agree with you on the whole 'friends' concept. In Konohagakure there seems to be a culture of friendship that is almost enforced upon shinobi, driven mainly through the whole "will of fire concept" so it's going to be interesting to see that clash with Kosu who is very solitary. She only really knows a life of independence so it's going to be an odd integration for her haha. I have a rough idea of the main events I want to take place in this fic but my plot is fairly flexible. I try to keep it this way so I can stay more true to the character's characterisation, so hopefully anything that does happen will flow naturally. Anywho, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for your lovely comments!**

 **To Kitca: Here you go my friend! I feel like Fugaku worked with the evidence he had at the time and prepared for the worse. That being said I doubt he's finished with Kosu just yet. And Kosu did not take any accusations sitting down! She's a feisty little thing when she wants haha. As so animal summons/companion I was leaning away from doing that as I have a fūinjutsu style in mind for Kosu's character. Plue of the two ninja animals she's encountered so far she's attacked both of them! Haha I hope you enjoyed this update!**

 **To Guest 22/1/17: This is definitely a Kakashi-OC romance. And I feel like their little excursion out of the village has taught the children a lot about Kosu and also themselves. Mito's training sessions will continue to get more significant both from a fūinjutsu development point and from a personal development point of view. Thank you for your comments!**

 **To Moonacre BunBun: HI! *waves excitedly back* Thank you so much! Hiro and Kosu have led a horribly tough life and I can totally imagine her, huddled with her brother and watching the animals gather materials for nests/holes/damns and realising 'there's something to this insulation malarky' haha. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **To UmbreonGurl: Thank you so much! Hope you enjoyed the chapter**

 **To ZippyZappy: Awww, technology was not on your side! Thank you for persevering and reviewing though! I feel like the end of this chapter in particular had poor Kosu confused as hell haha. And I agree with you about Sakumo, he's actually one of my favourite characters so I almost definitely be featuring him in later chapters haha. As for your thoughts about Kosu's reaction to Sakumo's death I won't give too much away. Only this… when I read your comments I smirked ;) Thank you again for your comments and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **To Zilcho: Thank you so much. And I'm glad you enjoyed the change of perspective in the fic. I feel like it adds depth to the story and the characters involved. And I totally agree with you about how weird it is to see Kakashi so intergrated and friendly with the others. It was exactly how I felt when I watched the filler episodes of when that generation as children at the academy and you see Kakashi playing with the others, chatting happily to Rin & Obito and even supporting Gai in his endevours. It makes it all the more tragic that he does a complete 180 and rejects everyone… I think I'm going to find that so emotional to write :( Anyway! Thank you for your review and I hope you continue with the **_**Art of Survival**_ **.**


	8. Darwinism

_**Disclaimer: Naruto is property of Masashi Kishimoto, not me. However, Kosu and Hiro are mine. Warning, possible themes of a dark, violent or suggestive nature and use of mature language as the story progresses… They're ninja after all.**_

 **Chapter 8**

 _ **Darwinism**_

"Well you certainly managed to create a lot of drama." Mito didn't look up as she poured two cups of tea. Kosu's brow twitched and she took her focus from the written seals in front of her and narrowed her eyes at the elder woman.

"It wasn't-" Kosu checked her rising tone, took a breath and forced her brow to relax. "They had no business being out there." She frowned, tuning back to her work. Yet her mind struggled to refocus on the text. "They were going to get themselves killed." She let go of the scroll. Kosu turned to Mito once more.

Mito sighed, her eyes softening. _So advanced yet so stunted._ Mito replaced the teapot on the fire between them, their source of light and warmth in the dark night.

"I can almost hear your thinking from here." Mito stated as she handed one cup to Kosu.

"I don't understand why they would leave the village." Kosu frowned. "They were helpless out there. They would be dead if I hadn't of shown myself."

"They would not have left the village if you did not." Mito said. Kosu paused mid sip, lowering the cup from her mouth.

"I am not responsible for them. And I did not kidnap them."

"That is not what I meant." Mito's voice was soft. "They were concerned for you, so they followed you." She said slowly, watching carefully as Kosu shifted uncomfortably.

"… I'm not anything to them. Why- They shouldn't be concerned." Kosu all but spat the word in disgust.

"You said you showed yourself to them last night. That they would be dead if you hadn't. Why did you?" Mito asked. _Were you concerned for them too?_

Kosu nostrils flared and her jaw tightened. The young girl glared at the fire as silence descended between them. Mito simply sat and waited, sipping her tea. Kosu swallowed thickly. _Why did she do that?_ She and Hiro had hidden from struggling travellers before. It could never be trusted who's suffering was genuine. Kosu herself had pretended to be blind and lame to lure do-gooders in before pick-pocketing them. _So why aid those brats so willingly?_

"I don't want to talk about it." Kosu stated. She abandoned her tea and turned her attention fully back to the scroll. "I'm already behind from missing last night."

Mito sighed silently, knowing not to push it any further. It was progress at least. _Surprised she didn't get up and walk out._

It took until Mito finished her tea for Kosu to finish decoding the long and intricate seal on the scroll. Her nose had screwed up a couple of times as she read the clunky symbols, having to glance up at Mito to check if the elder woman was looking unwell.

"Did you write this?" Kosu asked. Mito inclined her head, eyes gleaming as she watched her pupil glance back to the scroll.

"Go on."

"It's-" Kosu sighed. "It's clunky and overly complicated for what it needs to do." _Was it to test her? Or to give her a headache reading it as punishment for missing the previous training?_

"Very good." Mito smirked. Kosu raised an eyebrow. _So she was being sneaky._ "You're ready for the next stage of training." Kosu blinked in surprise. Mito smiled as she took the scroll from her. She teared off the badly written seal and began drawing a new one. "Fūinjutsu isn't like ninjutsu. Ninjutsu requires specific handsigns to channel chakra to create a specific effect. Fūinjutsu uses kanji to channel chakra to create a desired effect. Various combinations can be used to create a single type of outcome. It's down to the kunoichi's choice as to what combination she uses." Mito finished the seal and placed it side by side with the original. "Fūinjutsu is an art form." Kosu's eyes widened as she looked over the new sleeker seal compared to it sloppy brother. Both yielded the same result but the newer one was just better. _It felt right_.

"So, you purposefully wrote it badly to test me."

"I've written the last few badly. You were either going to see it or not." Mito revealed. "It's the difference between a ninja who can seal and a ninja who can use fūinjutsu." Mito took away the over complicated seal and placed the newer one square in front of Kosu. "For the next stage I am unsure as to how much guidance I'll be able to give." Mito sighed. "This is a training seal. In someone with a fully functioning chakra network they gather their chakra and feed it into the seal, activating the symbols in the designated order." Kosu watched as Mito demonstrated as she spoke, the seal glowing a soothing white once correctly activated. "Feed it in the wrong order." The seal turned red. "This seal turns red. In reality, the repercussions on the shinobi of botched fūinjutsu can be disastrous."

Kosu nodded, lips drawn into a thin pensive line. Mito didn't need to state it. The problem was loud and clear. Kosu inhaled, gathering her chakra, letting the warmth grow and spread from her stomach. It collected in her hand, dancing beneath her skin. She pressed her small palm to the centre of the seal, face turning red with concentration and she trained to force the chakra from her body. Her control slipped instantly, the chakra bleeding out of her with no control. It flowed through the seals with a mind of its own and the red glow of failure illuminated her face.

Mito sat back, turning to brew another pot of tea. She could do nothing but watch as Kosu threw herself at the seal over and over again. The veins bulged in her neck as swear broke out on her brow. She didn't complain once, or screw the paper up in anger and curse every God she knew. _She wasn't Kushina. Which was both a benefit._ Red light again. _And a hinderance._

 **X**

Shikaku ran his hand over his goatee beard. He loved his wife, honestly, he did, but she was completely and utterly the reason he was late to meet his team at the bar. He closed the door behind him, welcoming the faint smell of sweet alcohol and the low-level chatter of the patrons in the warmly lit room. He spotted Choza at the bar and headed straight for him.

"Couldn't decide what shade of beige vest to wear?" Choza smirked as his teammate joined him. He belly-laughed at the look of disdain Shikaku shot him. He clapped him warmly on the shoulder as he flagged down the barman and added another drink to his order.

"Thanks." Shikaku said. He looked to their usual table, raising an eyebrow at its three occupants. A very excited Inoichi and shocked Daiki were listening, transfixed with whatever Sakumo was telling them.

"Deerstalker." Choza chuckled. Shikaku looked at his friend to see him gesturing his head of the booth. _Of course it was._ Naturally, he'd already caught wind of the incident. Most of the upper ranked shinobi had and by the following day it was likely that even newly qualified genin would know. The two gathered the five drinks and joined them at the booth.

"Shikaku!" Inoichi grinned, eyes glinting. He received a series of welcomes from the others. "Come listen to how Sakumo's morning went."

"Inoichi, this isn't something to be excited over." Daiki snapped. "Children were hurt." _His children were hurt_.

"They were minor injuries." Inoichi rolled his eyes, repeating Sakumo's earlier claim.

"It could have been worse!"

"Let's focus on the fact it wasn't." Sakumo placated, eyeing the two wearily. Sakumo sighed, staring pensively at the top of his drink. "Honestly, I think once the other four were picked up by Kosuke they were safe." He looked between them. "He had them in shelter, triaged their injuries, kept them warm. He was even leading them back to the Village…" Sakumo frowned, Kakashi's words echoed in his head _Kosuke didn't hesitate._

"I love this kid." Inoichi proclaimed. Daiki shot him a glare.

"What happened?" Shikaku asked, reading the evidence of unspoken words across Sakumo's face.

"Before we got to them, they were attacked by two wolves." Sakumo stated, all of them, even Inoichi sobered. "He killed them both. Completely clean kills, no hesitation… And wanted to field dress them both." Daiki's face paled and silence passed between them. Inoichi's lips turned down into a frown.

"What exactly happened to this kid before we picked him up?" Choza asked gently.

"He and his younger brother are refugees from a ransacked mining village on the South-east border of the Land of Earth." Shikaku replied. "That was at least a year ago."

"That's a long time to be alone." Daiki murmured. He couldn't rid his mind of the image of Kosu and his brother struggling through the forest, cold, wet, hungry… He shook his head. "Why haven't they been counselled?"

"The younger one didn't display any triggers or warnings." Shikaku sighed. "And you know full well why Kosuke hasn't received intervention." Daiki's fists clenched, the knuckled blanching. Kosuke was to be a shinobi. The village didn't care if he was psychologically damaged so long as he could perform. _They definitely didn't care if that damage made him a better shinobi._

"This isn't right." Daiki growled. "He's just a kid."

"I think Kosuke stopped being a child a long time ago." Inoichi sighed. "His body just hasn't caught up with him yet."

 **X**

Kosu was early to the academy the following day. She took her usual seat in the darkest, furthest corner from where any of her classmates sat. She placed the seal in front of her, raking her eyes over the symbols that had been seared into her memory. Her training with Mito had proven fruitless, nothing but red. Kosu ran her fingers along the seal. She understood it perfectly… just… it flashed red again. _There has to be a way._ She'd faced seemingly impossible situations before, had more at stake before and there had always been a way around.

Her attention was stolen from the scroll at the sound of approaching footsteps. Knowing that her peace and quiet was about to be broken she tucked the scroll away and sat back. The door opened and the rabble flooded in. The same loud chatter every morning and it never stopped setting her teeth on edge.

"Morning Kosu!" Obito all but leapt into the seat next to her. _What the fuck?_ She turned to look at him, words failing her as he beamed at her from behind his tinted goggles. Her head snapped around as she was surrounded on all sides by Rin, Kurenai, Genma and Ebisu. _What the fuck?_

"… Hello." She replied stiffly. She looked to Rin, the normally diplomatic and reasonable one of the group. Rin was already staring at her. As soon as she was caught Rin's cheeks brightened and she quickly turned to face the front. _Was this genjutsu?_ Kosu took a deep breath and focused inwardly. Everything felt normal. She turned back to Obito who had been speaking the entire time.

"-and show everyone that I am the greatest ninja of our generation." Kosu could only blink and nod.

"You say that every time Obito." Genma rolled his eyes. Kosu glanced down, seeing him rub his bandaged arm. She looked up as Kakashi entered the room, to her relief he went and sat in his usual space, far away from her and the lunacy that surrounded her.

"So Kosu, they were telling me about how you leave the village." Ebisu pulled her attention from staring at Kakashi's profile. Both Ebisu and Kurenai were leaning forwards in their seats, eyes almost unblinking as they looked at her. She nodded. Kurenai gasped.

"Is it true-"

Ebisu was cut off as Daiki entered the classroom. He looked up and blinked in surprise. He caught Kosu's gaze and managed, just about, to not laugh at the startled deer expression on her face. Daiki hid his smile behind the register. _Maybe you've not stopped everything about being a kid Kosuke._

Daiki quickly rattled through the attendance and led them to the sparring hall. As always, they were split male and female. A concept Kosu still failed to grasp. Did they expect men to only fight men and women to only fight women? _Gender doesn't matter when you're fighting for your life._ Kosu watched as the pairs before her sparred, her eyes carefully following their movements. Kakashi, who'd normally be doing the same found himself glancing towards Kosu.

Rin and a civilian born girl finished sparring. Rin having locked the girl in a takedown fairly easily.

"Excellent job girls." Daiki praised, marking notes on his clip board. "Right, Kosuke and Ebisu." He called. She ignored the 'good lucks' from her classmates, assuming they were for Ebisu. The two stood opposite each other and got into ready stances.

"Begin."

They clashed in the centre, a series of striking limbs and fast dodges. They landed glancing blows as they danced a violent game of chess, both trying to trick the other into making a fatal mistake. After a particularly athletic dodge Kosu's eyes widened at the surprise fist coming towards her. Her brow drew in and she danced to the side, the fist missing her by inches. She let his motion carry him past her before sweeping him up and throwing him down hard. Ebisu cried out and he landed flat on his back a sickening crack echoing in the wooden room. In one fluid motion, she completed the movement and drove her fist towards his neck. Kosu stopped an inch from what would have been a killing strike to his wind pipe and blood vessels.

Daiki released his hitched breath, knuckles tight on the clip board. He'd dashed to stand over the pair, the cold whisper of doubt only just starting to fade. _Did Kosu know how to stop?_

Ebisu stared up at Kosu with wide eyes, his glasses having been thrown from his face. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Why were you pulling your punches?" She lowered her striking hand and he gingerly sat up.

Daiki crouched as his side, gently feeling the boy's ribs. _At least cracked._ He looked up wearily at Kosu.

"I-I…" Ebisu fumbled, each breath sending sharp jolts of pain across his chest.

"You've never done that before." She stood. She recalled how vicious Ebisu's strikes could be, threatening her consciousness on a couple of occasions. She looked down at him. _That was pathetic. Do they want to be weak? Are they trying to make her weak!_

"We're not going to go all out on our friends." Genma said. Kosu turned to look at him, her jaw tightening.

"Then don't" She said. _Make each other weaker._ "But you will for me." Her statement was met with wide eyes and slackened jaws. _Not friends._ Even Daiki found himself unable to speak.

"…Kosuke?" Rin muttered. "They were hurting you." Kosuke looked over each of the boys in her class. She'd sparred and lost against all of them multiple times and received the bruises to prove it, still bore some of them. They glanced away from her, unable to hold her gaze. Her chest seemed to grow hot and cold at the same time causing her fists to clench. _They were trying to hurt her._ Of course, they were… that was how this worked. It was how it had worked since she arrived. _Why was there an issue now?_

"And I'm trying to hurt them." She shrugged. _Ask Ebisu's ribs._ The class gasped, staring wide-eyed between Daiki and Kosu. Their eyes quickly narrowed in anger.

"You ass!" Genma shouted jumping to his feet.

"Genma!" Daiki stepped between them.

"We're being nice and you're acting like a jerk!"

"That's enough Genma!" Daiki silenced the pair. Genma huffed, not once wavering in his glare. "I want you and Kakashi to take Ebisu to the medics."

Between the three of them they eased Ebisu to his feet, the rest of the class whispering to each other, glancing around the scene in front of them. Genma threw another glare at Kosu as they three boys left the training room. His face reddened when he saw the apathetic, disinterested look in Kosu's face. _Did Kosu not care at all?_

"Alright, quiet down." Daiki called. "Ne-" 

The academy bell rang announcing their lunch break. Daiki exhaled slowly, he could feel his blood pressure rising.

"Come back here after lunch." He ordered. "Kosuke," dull eyes turned to him. "A moment."

"Stay away from him."

"How could he do something like that?

"He's a monster."

"They have to kick him out!"

Kosu ignored the whispers, keeping her gaze fixed on Daiki. _At least something was getting back to normal._ Daiki sighed as the young child stood in front of him, rubbing his hand over his jaw.

"Kosuke I need you to listen, very carefully." Daiki crossed his arms over his chest. "You hurt Ebisu, intentionally, during a training exercise. That. Cannot. Happen. Again."

"Why?" Kosu asked.

"Because this is a training exercise between comrades." He tried to stress.

"Why is it an issue _now_?" She rephrased. She'd been trying to batter them since day one, and they her _._ Daiki's face grew grave and she narrowed her eyes. _Only one factor has changed._ "It's an issue because _I_ can hurt _them_ now." His silence confirmed it. Kosu inhaled slowly. Daiki allowed her to be hurt, to be pushed beyond what was 'fair'. _Yet Kami forbid she damage one of his precious Konoha-born._

"I'm sorry Kosuke…" He crouched in front of her. His eyes circled her face desperately, unnerved by her silence. _Why is he sorry?_ Her skill had improved rapidly, harsh environment stimulated rapid growth… the alternative was injury and death. Soft environments bred stagnation and stupidity, look at domesticated animals… Look at her class mates. _She would not be like them. Konoha-sheep._

"Ebisu weakened himself." Kosu said, interrupting the rest of Daiki's apology. "Why would he do that? Why would anyone do that?" She spat. Daiki swallowed thickly, his chest aching.

"He… it's…" Daiki struggled. "They see you as a teammate now." He frowned. _At least they did until you cracked his ribs on the floor._

"I don't want them to." She growled. _They'll only weaken her._

"Kosuke, friendship and teamwork do not weaken you." He stated, punctuating each syllable in the hope it would penetrate her thick skull.

Kosu's nostrils flared. _Ebisu just proved otherwise._

"You worked together outside of the village."

Kosu's jaw clenched. _She should have left them out there._

"They didn't weaken you then did they?"

"They were no good to me either!" She snapped, Daiki's eyes widened. Kosuke had never raised his voice before. "I was fine with or without them. They are loud and uneducated and unprepared and useless." She growled. _If friendship and teamwork made you stronger then why wasn't she gaining anything from them?_ "If that's your example of teamwork I want nothing to do with it."

Daiki lips drew into a thin line and he stood. Kosu eyed him wearily, her muscles tensing the longer he stared down at her. Daiki sighed, finally breaking his gaze.

"Go and eat Kosuke." He ordered softly. The anger drained from her face leaving a ridged mask behind. She nodded and Daiki was left watching the small back of the child disappear behind the sliding door.

 **X**

Daiki knocked on the Hokage's office door.

"Come in." Hiruzen set aside the paint brush. _For a small child Kosuke was causing a lot of stir._ Daiki would be the second meeting he'd had that day regarding the child. Hiriko had already visited him earlier to express her own concerns regarding the brothers.

He looked up, surveying the chunin in front of him. His lips drew together as the weight of the world seemed to press down on Daiki's shoulders.

"Hokage-sama." Daiki inclined his head. Before he could continue the door to the office opened and Daiki blinked in surprise. "Mito-sama." He greeted politely. She smiled warmly back at him. "I can wait, if…"

"I believe we're both here for the same reason." Mito reassured him.

"Kosuke." Hiruzen said, looking to Daiki.

"He is improving well in his taijutsu." Daiki then frowned, _that's about all that has improved._ "However his ninjutsu and genjutsu, anything that involves chakra, are well below average. Scores that, if he were any other student they would be advised to leave the academy."

Hiruzen laced his fingers under his chin. _If he were any other student…_ He studied Daiki, his brow furrowing.

"Something else bothers you." Mito said, Hiruzen glanced to her. _She's seen it too._

"I've taught students who have disagreed and fought with each other before. But Kosuke, I've never encountered a child so against any basic relationship…" Daiki sighed. "I had hoped the incident two nights ago would have helped, but it's done the opposite." His jaw tightened, reluctant to admit. "So much so he's not completely stable in the academy dynamic." _And he wasn't completely stable before._

"We always knew his time at the academy would be brief." Hiruzen said. He stood from his desk and turned to look contemplatively out of the window.

"Yes. But he's not physically skilled enough to leave." Daiki said.

"Kosuke is not as behind as you believe." Mito said. Both men turned to her. "I have been working with him for a while now."

"You've been training him?" Daiki raised his brows.

"Is that so hard to believe?" She raised her brows back at him. Daiki flushed and coughed quickly.

"Kosuke continued in your class to integrate him. To try to encourage him to form relationships with those other than his brother. And in the longer term, learn the value of teamwork." Hiruzen said. _The end goal was always to place him on a shinobi squad._

"But that seems to have broken down." Mito said. She paused, tilted her head in thought. "That being said, he has demonstrated on multiple occasions that he can work with others. He has used teamwork with me without even realising it and reaped its benefits. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to teach him the values of the shinobi squad surrounded by a good example of it." Mito suggested. Daiki glanced between them, his stomach sinking at the thoughtful 'hmmm' from the Hokage. _They're going to take him from the class_.

"He still has a lot to learn." Daiki stressed. "His ninjutsu-"

"Let me think on this." Hiruzen assured them both.

"Hokage-sama-"

"Look at all of the factors." He interrupted Daiki. Daiki exhaled slowly, his stomach settling slightly. "And decide where best to place the boy."

 **X**

Kosu shoved her hands in her pockets. Daiki had been late to their evening training claiming he had a meeting. Not that she minded, he'd set her a series of hard drills to perform in his absence. He was a little strange when he returned though. _Likely still sour she insulted his precious teamwork. Screw that. Screw him._ She shook her head. The training had still been its hard, unyielding, usual set up. He was still useful.

She rolled her shoulders, the ache already settling in. Instead of focussing on that she let her mind roam back to the challenge set by Mito as she ambled back to the orphanage. She just couldn't manipulate chakra away from her body. It was like there was nothing to anchor it to and it just flittered away. _There isn't anything to anchor it too…_ She held her palm in front of her, surging the chakra beneath her skin before letting it ebb away. _It is there though._

Her mind was pulled from her problem when she recognised the silver haired, masked figure of Kakashi stood a little further up the path. Kakashi was quite obviously waiting for her.

"You stay late." He said simply, falling into step with her. Kosu glanced back at the academy, just visible over the shops.

 _There's a lot to improve on._ She could feel his stare as they walked side by side down the path. _Strange boy_.

"Why did you wait for me?" _Everyone was being strange. And he was supposed to be the best of them_. She recalled the four of them in the cavern, wet and muddy. Even when they had been out running in the storm like the idiots, Kakashi had been the relatively calm one. _The most likely to survive._

"I wanted to talk to you." He said eventually. _You and everyone else today._ She frowned. "I thought you were pathetic the first time I saw you." Kosu's eyes darted to him. Kakashi was relieved that Kosu wasn't like Obito and didn't start screaming. "In class, you were so weak, are so weak compared to me… But… in a way you're stronger than all of us… even me." He winced as he admitted it.

The pair stopped outside of Kakashi's house and he could only watch as Kosu's face screwed up. She clenched her fists within her pocket and glared at the ground.

"Why are you saying this?" She turned her glare to him.

"… I" Kakashi blinked owlishly at her. _Isn't this what Rin said they should do?_ "I'm to say thank you and err, sorry." Kosu snarled, her upper lip curling in disgust.

"I don't need or want 'thank yous' and apologies or any other verbal bullshit that the rest of you are so fond of." Kosu declared. _These Konoha-sheep are obsessed with this apologetic bullshit._ She could see her reflection in his dark eyes. She was reminiscent of a pissed off cat. 

"What do you want?" Kakashi asked. Kosu's face relaxed as she circled Kakashi's face with her eyes, her fists unclenching.

Kakashi had to admit his interest piqued, everyone else in the class had declared their goals, their reason for becoming ninja. Some more than others. _Obito-future-Hokage-Uchiha_. All except Kosuke.

"I want to be smart enough and strong enough to keep me and my brother alive." She murmured. _That's all she'd ever wanted._ Kosu met his gaze. She swallowed thickly, he was looking at her the same way Mito did. _Patient, non-judgmental._ "Going easy on me in sparring and wasting my time with idiotic chatter won't help me do that." Kakashi nodded.

"Fire forges the blade… pressure produces diamonds." He murmured. Kosu's eyes widened slightly. _He gets it._ "Daiki-sensei won't let you continue sparring the way you did today." Kosu's jaw twitched. _Stunted development by the sensei trying to develop her._

"But if you train with me, outside of the academy, you could." Kakashi suggested, Kosu narrowed her eyes. _He was more skilled than her… But…_

"… And what do you want?" suspicion laced her tone. _No one gives for free._ Kosu was sure even the Hokage had an ulterior motive for her being there.

"… I need to know how to survive out there." He said, nodding in the general direction of the main gate. "We're pathetic shinobi if nature can kill us before we even get to our mission." He watched the debate rage behind her eyes.

"… Okay." She finally said, her get twisting unnaturally. _It sounds mutually beneficial… No obvious tricks_. "I'm going hunting in 6 days' time. Meet me at the main gate, sun-up with weapons and rope." He brightened at her order.

"Meet me here tomorrow evening, after you've eaten." He said.

"Why here?"

"It's my home." He shrugged. Kosu's brow rose slightly. The house was large and neatly kept. _She and Hiro could fit in there fifty times over_.

 **X**

"Kosu!" Hiro greeted her with a warm hug around her middle. A soft smile claimed her face as she ran her hand over his hair. "How was your day?" He released her, following her into the kitchenette. He recognised the sounds of her preparing food and took his seat at the table. It always smelt so good when Kosu started cooking.

"…Odd." She admitted. Hiro grinned on hearing the faint smile in her voice. "… But, it had its benefits. How have you been?"

"I had an odd day too." He giggled. Kosu glanced over her shoulder. "Hiriko had us all downstairs, playing like normal. When Orochimaru-sama came to visit!" Kosu stopped her chopping. _The Sannin?_ "He was an orphan too and Akira says he gives lots back to the orphanage, to help us. He's so kind!" Kosu slowly started chopping once again. _No one gives for free_.

"What did Orochimaru-sama do?"

"He spoke to us and made sure to not miss anyone out, that wouldn't be fair." Hiro chattered. "You should try and meet him next time. He wants to meet everyone here." Hiro paused, his head tilting as he frowned at the table. "But I know you're really bust with training."

Kosu closed her eyes, pained. _Fuck_. She inhaled slowly and joined Hiro at the table, taking his smaller delicate hands in hers.

"Hiro… about that." She began. "I need to train more. I'll be leaving earlier in the evenings, after dinner."

"…Kosu…" He whispered, voice cracking. Alarm shot through her as tears welled in his eyes, rolling down his cheeks. She open and closer her mouth, no words coming out. All she could do was wrap her arms around him. "…I'm not hungry anymore." He sniffled. Her chest ran cold as he pulled away from her.

"Hiro." Her voice cracked.

"I'm sorry. I know you're preparing dinner." He mumbled as he disappeared into his bedroom.

"Hiro…"

She sat there, heart pounding, eyes wide on the bedroom door. This was all for him, it always had been for him. _But to hurt him in the process._ She shook her head. _That wasn't allowed. Not ever._ There had to be time to do both…

 **Okay, so if you're still here THANK YOU! and you deserve a medal and prizes and goodies. That… was an unexpected hiatus, but here I am… back(ish).**

 **My updates are likely to be irregular and sporadic (warning you now) but I have a very good idea of Kosu's story and I really, really want to tell it. So this fic will get finished… eventually.**

 **So for anyone who has stayed with me thank you! Especially those who reviewed, your words of support and constructive feedback are incredible. I genuinely can't describe how motivating and heart-warming your words are and I'm so thankful!**

 **For anyone new, welcome and hopefully enjoy!**

 **XScouseLondonerX**


	9. The Human Race

_**Disclaimer: Naruto is property of Masashi Kishimoto, not me. However, Kosu and Hiro are mine. Warning, possible themes of a dark, violent or suggestive nature and use of mature language as the story progresses… They're ninja after all.**_

 **Chapter 9**

 _ **Human race**_

Kosu chewed her thumbnail, eyes trained on the frowning boy across the table. Hiro had left his room. _Thank Kami_. But that was the extent of the progress. It was unnerving how close the walls seemed without his bubbly chatter to lighten the air.

"Hiro-"

"Thank you for the food." He mumbled, head tucked in and he quickly retreated into his room.

"Hiro!" She was met with the soft snap of the closing door. Kosu groaned, rubbing her palms forcefully against her forehead. Her stomach twisted as she placed her half empty plates on the side and gathered her ninja gear. She hesitated over the kunai leg bag, her eyes narrowed and she quickly strapped it to her thigh. _Kakashi wasn't going to get an inch._ They'd spent their first sparring session using no weapons. Their entire time at the academy had been no-weapons. _The world isn't fucking no sharps._

Kosu hovered by Hiro's door, rapping her knuckle gently against it. Her ears easily picked up the shuffle of movement from within.

"I need to go Hiro." She said softly.

"… Bye." Sniffle. Kosu's fist clenched and she felt her chest turn hot and cold, tightening slowly around her heart. Slowly the soft, low sad notes of his flute came from within the room…

 _Hiro…_

 **X**

As was typical of Kosu, Kakashi didn't expect much conversation. They walked in silence from Kakashi's home to their training area. _Still though_. He glanced to Kosu, his body riddled with so much tension, a coiled spring on a hairpin trigger. _Even for Kosu this was extreme._

"So you want to spar with weapons today?" Kakashi laced his hands lazily behind his head as they reached the training area. He turned to Kosu.

Eyes widened. He fumbled backwards in a clumsy attempt to avoid the slashing kunai. _That's a yes._

Kosu welcomed the weight of a kunai in her hand once more, the sing of the metal as it cut through the air, only to be silenced as it slid across Kakashi's blocking arm. Kakashi measured his distance, backing away from her. She watched as he ran his hand down his arm. _Shallow. Just a graze._ Her mouth quirked at the corner as he took off his diamond patterned scarf and threw it to the side. He been caught off guard in their previous spar when she'd pulled it to set him up for a brutal takedown.

He narrowed his gaze on her, raising his own kunai in front of him. _Isn't above a surprise attack_. Not that he could complain. Kosu was one of the few who actively pushed him in spars. _Something he never thought he'd be admitting to._ Lateral thinking with experience was becoming an interesting challenge with her increasing skill to back it up.

Kosu dashed at him. Kunai flew past his right forcing him left and into the path of her sweeping kunai. Metal chimed as he met her kunai with his. Her brow furrowed, Kakashi slowly pushed her own blade back towards her. She snapped away from him, weaving beneath a swipe. A flick of his wrist and he repaid her for the cut earlier.

The pair met again, a wicked dance of flashing metal and glancing blows. Near misses and close strikes as they darted around each other, each constantly assessing and revaluating the changing situation. They jumped away from each other, panting heavily and covered in a multitude of small pink scratches. Blood that she'd managed to draw from him had been quickly repaid in kind. Small red spots scattered on the floor from both of them.

Settling her breath Kosu took in the entire scene before her. Swift hands pulled shuriken from her bag, and swifter still she palmed another to throw in their shadow. The hidden shuriken flew silently, barely above the ground. Kakashi jumped to avoid the arcing shuriken. Getting ready to release his own barrage with a smirk. His smirk fell. _From below!_ He quickly had to defend from the surprise shuriken arcing up at him. The hidden shuriken hit one of her earlier kunai embedded in the ground and redirected straight at him.

Kosu pounced on his distracted state and tackled him out of the air. Her legs locked around his middle as she leant over him, kunai against his neck. Adrenaline danced behind her eyes.

"You're dead." She whispered.

"So are you." He smirked.

Kosu glanced down. _Shit_. Kunai to her stomach. Would this have been a real fight, Kakashi may have been haemorrhaging from his carotids but she would have been the idiot with her bowel hanging out.

With a sigh, she palmed the kunai from his neck and back into her leg bag. She unwrapped her legs from the borderline choke hold on his middle and flopped down beside him. The pair lay, panting heavily, staring at the sky surrounded by a debris of kunai and shuriken. Laying side by side Kosu's growth was more obvious. No longer was she the smallest member of her class.

Kakashi turned to look at Kosu, the hair pin trigger had been relaxed slightly. His jaw wasn't set so firmly and tight lines didn't seem to run through his body. Kakashi found himself smiling slightly.

"They're what you used aren't they?" He asked. Kosu turned, blinking in surprise when she found he was already looking at her. "Kunai and shuriken were what you used before." The way he handled them, how he kept track of every aspect of the fight, Kami, just some of the angles he achieved were impressive.

"Yeah." She nodded. How many times had it been her and nothing but a rusty kunai separating her from starvation… from death? _Too many._ "I'd have died a long time ago without them." She murmured. So quietly Kakashi would have sworn he didn't say anything if he couldn't actually see his lips moving.

"How did you get your first set?" Kakashi knew he was towing a fine line. Kosu had been with them for just over five weeks and he could count the number of thing he knew about him on his fingers. Personal questions were usually met with silence and an uncomfortable curl of the lip. Kosu's lip twitched, threatening to curl and Kakashi braced himself for another lengthy silence.

Her jaw clamped shut. She inhaled slowly and held his gaze. The tension left her jaw and she slowly exhaled. Kakashi's breath grew shallow as the hard mask Kosu wore seemed to soften.

"…They were left behind… by bandits… by ninja."

Kakashi's jaw slackened slightly. _Kosu answered._

"I didn't take them at first." Kosu continued. Her fist clenched. _How pathetic she'd been._ "I didn't think I'd… I was so naïve… unprepared…" Her voice shook, almost growling with hatred at the girl in her memory. _Never again._ "I almost lost him because I was so clueless." Hiro's skeletal face flashed in her minds, sunken eyes, hallow cheeks… his rasping breath echoed in her head.

"It's hard to believe you were ever like that." Kakashi admitted. His gentle voice pulled her from her tumble into unwanted memories. She turned to him and blinked in surprise.

"Everyone is like that in the beginning. Anyone claiming otherwise is a liar." Kosu said. "But from there on out it's a race. A race for everything… for survival. You have to keep getting stronger and smarter or you'll fall behind." _That's why you're not like them_. Kakashi was already running whilst the others, the Konoha-sheep, were still strolling near the start.

Kosu's words were ominous but at the same time warmed his chest slightly. Too often with Kosu his words would be steeped in deeper meaning that only he seemed to be able to grasp. But for once, they were on the same level, a shared understanding between the pair.

"They-"

Kakashi yelped – actually yelped.

Kosu had palmed a kunai and slashed for his neck. It took a squirming reflex for Kakashi to avoid the glinting metal. _Surprise attack again!_ He rolled to his feet as Kosu jumped to his. Their breath was back, their limps rested and they were ready to try to kill each other again.

 **X**

Mito watched from her seat around the fire as Kosu approached. She was on time, but for someone who was constantly early, that was essentially late for her. Her intrigue peaked as the fire light revealed a criss-cross of fresh scratches marring her skin. _Weapons sparring?_ Not two days ago Daiki had been jittery about her without weapons. _No. Whatever that was, it wasn't academy_.

Kosu sat wordlessly opposite Mito and pulled the scroll from her bag. She closed her eyes and focused on her chakra. It swept within her with perfect ease, washing around her body in soothing, warm waves. Whilst within her, control was there. Even as it coated the edge of her skin. The strain was there, the anchor weakening, but she could still move it to her will. It was as she tried to feed it into the paper that it discharged chaotically, red light flashing.

"Here."

Kosu looked up from her work and took the cup of tea from her sensei, inclining her head in thanks. Her sleeves rose as she reached, revealing yet more scratches. Mito made no effort to hide her examination of them.

"I see you've begun weapons training." Mito commented. Kosu eyed her over the top of her cup. _She knows._ Maybe not specifically where or with whom. _She knows it's outside of the academy._ Yet there was no anger behind her eyes, not like she would expect to see if Daiki found out.

Kosu nodded.

Mito's mouth quirked upwards and she took a sip if her tea. That was likely to be all Kosu would divulge.

"May I see?" Mito asked, gesturing to her scratched body. Kosu answered by pulling her baggy T-Shirt off and pulling her shorts up to reveal her thighs. _They really went for each other._ Mito inspected the scratches, some deeper and longer than others. But it was obvious that whomever Kosu was sparring with could toe the line between attacking with intent and being able to pull back just before a fatal slip. "I assume you've never received or likely seen medical ninjutsu before?" Mito asks, Kosu shook her head. She watched as Mito's hand glowed green. "It'll feel odd, but soothing." She assured as she laid her hands on the deeper cuts.

Kosu's eyes widened as she watched her skin knit closed. _Chakra can do that?_ The same thing that flowed through her that she was so terrible at expelling could be used in such a miraculous way?

"There." Mito said. Kosu fixed her clothes and stared at her now smooth forearms.

 _Kakashi…_

"That medical ninjutsu… Can Sakumo Hatake do it?" Kosu asked.

Mito blinked in surprise. _She revealed her partner._

"Sakumo is a very talented ninja and that's a very basic technique. Kakashi will be well looked after." Mito assured. Kosu hid her small smile behind her cup of tea.

"We're training outside of the academy." Kosu said, watching Mito for her reaction. Her sensei merely smiled and nodded. "And going to go outside of the village to hunt." That caused a raised eyebrow from Mito. _No teamwork eh, Daiki?_

"Try not to almost get arrested again." Mito simply said. Kosu rolled her eyes and finished her tea, turning her attention back to the seal.

She ran her fingers over the coarse paper. _That's the issue_. Any attempt at channelling her chakra through the medium just ended in an uncontrolled flare of chakra. Kosu stared at her finger tips and then to the paper.

Mito watched with intrigue as Kosu charged each of her fingers with chakra and rapidly tried to tap each of the written kanji in order and timing. Her eyes widened as the briefest flicker of white broke through. It was faded and fleeting but most importantly is wasn't red!

Kosu stared at the paper in shock, her heart jumping in her chest. _Chakra doesn't have to enter through the focal point of the seal._ She covered the seal with her hands, making sure that every kanji was in contact with her skin. The pattern was well ingrained in her mind and by surging chakra at the right points of contact in the right order…

"Kosu."

She opened her eyes that had screwed up in strain and concentration. Beneath her hands a dull white glow. Her face was red and the veins bulged in her neck and forehead… But there it was… _White._ She let go of her chakra and gasped, sucking in big gulps of air.

Her breath levelled and her eyes focussed on the paper. Even pressing her fingers to the kanji, it was the paper she could barely control her chakra through. _If it could just be removed…_

She glanced to the ink brush then to her now healed arms. Her small hand wrapped around the brush, soaking it in ink. The tip hovered above her arm and she raised her eyes to Mito. Her sensei inclined her head, leaning forwards slightly, eyes alight. Kosu quickly began painting the kanji onto her forearm. When she was done she held it out for Mito to look at.

"This is completely your choice Kosu. You can walk away from this now if you wish." Mito said.

Kosu mouth quirked upwards. _She knew the risks_.

Kosu looked to her own arm. She could feel the chakra already there, thick and steady. Leaky vessels meant her entire body was soaked in chakra constantly. All she had to do was surge it at specific points on her skin.

"Oh Kami." Mito gasped, her face brightened by the glow of Kosu's forearm.

Kosu's jaw slackened before slowly pulling into a grin. _No strain._ Energy flowed rapidly and smoothly across her arm, spanning up to the surface to hit the kanji. The light faded as she relaxed her chakra and looked to Mito.

"You can use your body as the base." Mito all but whispered. _Advanced fūinjutsu for a normal ninja_. Her eyes slowly trailed over body until she met her gaze. _But with her damaged anatomy…_ "May I try something?" _Maybe… just maybe._

Kosu watched as Mito took a cloth and wiped the training seal from her. Her head tilted to the side as she watched her sensei paint the same kanji again but in a nonsensical order and across both forearms. She finished with the focal point of the seal on her left hand and sat back.

"You know the kanji, you know how they're supposed to weave and build together." Mito stated. Kosu nodded. "Learn where they are now." Mito could only watch as Kosu turned her attention to her arms. Her heart thumped against her chest. "No mistakes."

Kosu took her time. The lack of logical pattern made the symbols harder to remember but she looked back to Mito, confidence setting her jaw. _Just what are you up to sensei?_

"All fūinjutsu needs a medium to work through. The closer to nature the better as it's soaked in chakra, it's balanced. Fūinjutsu paper is the choice for most ninja." Mito explained. "Knowing this there are some fūinjutsu that use the central chakra reserve in the human body, a gathering of pure, even chakra, as a medium." Mito placed her hand over her stomach, the very medium she had used to cage Kurama. "You can use your _entire_ body this way." Mito paused, she could practically see the thoughts firing behind Kosu's eyes. "I believe that by using your entire body, the kanji don't need to be written in order… you can weave that order internally, build the seal you want."

"It'd need to be perfect." Kosu murmured, eyes turning back to the kanji on her arms.

"Indeed." Mito took Kosu's chin in her hand gently. "I've never seen anything like this before, this is all theoretical." Kosu swallowed thickly and nodded.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She could picture the seal she wanted to form, layered on top she pictured the arrangement of kanji on her arms, each one a piece of the whole picture. Chakra swelled within her and surged to the points on her skin.

Mito inhaled sharply.

Kosu snapped her eyes open. _Holy shit._ The focal point of the seal, the Uzumaki swirl on her left palm, was glowing so brightly she couldn't even see the ink.

 _Oh Kosu._ Mito ran her hand over the young girl's short hair. Kosu stiffened beneath her touch before relaxing and leaning into her hand. The light from her palm faded.

Kosu's chest swelled with warmth and she felt it catch in her throat. All this time her body had been her weakness. All of their voices echoed in her head _too small… not enough muscle… damaged chakra_ … And whilst they were correct, they were so wrong. Her body wasn't her weakness. _She would make it her strength._

 **X**

Kosu was sat at the table in their flat studying a tome Mito had given to her. Now that they had a technique to develop her knowledge of fūinjutsu and kanji had to be perfect. There could be no hesitation, no error. It had to be as much a part of her as her blood, her chakra. She glanced to her now bare forearms. _That was how she would run the race_.

"Kosu?" Hiro asked, head tilted to the side. "Why aren't you at the academy?" Kosu smiled and walked over to him, running her hand gently over his hair almost mirroring Mito. _The academy… dead weight to run with._

"Hiro." She crouched in front of him. "Everything I'm doing is for you. To keep you safe. To keep you happy." She ran her thumb over his soft cheek. "I haven't been around as much and…" She sighed. "I'm around today."

"You're missing the academy for me?" He asked quietly, his voice cracking. She smiled weakly and stood up, ruffling his hair.

"What do you want to do today?" Kosu asked. Hiro sniffled loudly.

 **X**

Daiki stared down, arms crossed over his chest. Kosu stood before him, patiently meeting his glare.

"You skipped lessons today." He stated. Kosu nodded. Daiki's jaw clenched. "Kosu you need an education if you stand any hope of being a good ninja."

Kosu stared back at him. _Not from you. Not from being a Konoha-sheep in his flock._

Daiki sighed and pinched his brow.

"Where were you?" He asked.

"With my brother."

Daiki released his brow and paused the brewing rant.

"Is he okay?"

Kosu nodded. Daiki released his sigh and nodded.

"You at least showed to this." He uncrossed his arms. "Kosu you can't afford to fall behind, attending class is important." She bit back her retort. _Hurry up and train._

Daiki paused, willing him to engage. Nothing. He motioned with his head and Kosu began the physical drills. In their first few weeks together he'd begun to see Kosu loosen up slightly, a hope that he would eventually move away from standing alone. Yet all that progress has dissipated in the blink of an eye.

 **X**

Hiruzen inhaled through his pipe, analytical eyes watched the tense interaction between Kosu and Daiki. Daiki's shoulders slumped and he dismissed Kosu to begin the drills.

"He's done well to develop him to this point so quickly." Hiruzen commented.

"Indeed." Mito agreed. "But this is as far as he can take Kosu. They no longer suit as a Sensei-student pair." Hiruzen turned to Mito. _Something's changed._ "Hiruzen, this child has the potential to weld fūinjutsu the likes of which I've only dreamt of." His eyes widened at her claim. "He is wasted chasing arbitrary goals set by the academy. He has talent that can't be measure by their standards." She revealed a manila folder that had been hidden beneath the draped sleeve of her kimono.

Hiruzen took the file and opened it. He was greeted by Kosu's headshot, from the gaunt of his cheeks it was taken soon after he entered the Village. _He's grown quickly._ He moved to the text and his eyes widened at Mito's report. _She's right_. He glanced back to Kosu, now sparring with Daiki. _They are unsuited_.

"Mito-sama, are you asking to become Kosuke's sole sensei?" Hiruzen asked. Mito inhaled slowly.

"… No." Mito pursed her lips. _Turn back the clock 30 years and she would have_. "My days of physical combat are far behind me." He nodded, relief flooding him. Part of him doubted he would have been able to say no to her should she have asked to take Kosu on completely as her pupil.

Hiruzen inhaled from his pipe again and watched as Kosu darted around Daiki trying to use his speed against the goliath. Kosu was straddling the awkward grey area, but one thing was for certain. _He was quickly outgrowing the academy._

Hiruzen turned from the window and pulled a thicker file from the top draw of his desk. Mito looked over his shoulder as the current shinobi team roster was spread out on the dark wood. He pointed to three familiar faces.

"They'll be broken up soon. He's needed as a jonin leader." Hiruzen pointed to the blonde. "If what you predicted of Kosuke's ability turns out to be true I think he'll be a good fit." Mito hummed her agreement.

"He'll be ready."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **So a bit deeper into Kosu's personality this chapter and BIG kunoichi developments for our little refugee! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **XScouseLondonerX**

 **BeyondItachi: Thank you for your review, so glad you like the story! Thanks for the info about Gai. He does have more ninjutsu prowess, but that's going to come a lot later in his development.**

 **SnowCatt: Good suggestion! I grinned when I saw your review and can't wait to see what you think of this chapter.**

 **Wyteeth: Thank you for your review. I completely agree. I'm not a fan of insta-romance and I feel like insta-friendship is also another more commonly overlooked issue. Whilst Kosu's barriers are slowly being chipped away at she's definitely still keeping herself well-guarded against those 'who aren't of benefit' for her. So glad you like Kosu! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **Tabjoy13: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **Silverfoxkurama: Yay! Thank you for your review and I'm so glad that you like Kosu! She's definitely seen the darker side of life and has zero patience for the naïve brats in her class. Kakashi on the other hand… :D Hope you enjoyed the chapter… Saw a bit of a deeper side to Kosu this time!**

 **Lizyeh2000: Thank you! No hospitals just yet! Mito's got her back.**

 **TheWick: Thank you! Life was… well life and I had to prioritise other things. However I have Kosu's story planned out right through to the start of Boruto and I will tell it… it may take me a while … but I really want to tell her story. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **May525: Yay! Thank you! Hope you enjoyed this chapter too!**

 **Riv errr: Yo! Thank you! I really wanted to write the type of OC you see really rarely on here, and even more rarely in a Kakashi/OC! Hope you enjoyed this chapter too.**

 **Curlystruggle: YAY! I'm so happy you're reading it. This chapter definitely went deeper into Kosu's psychology and revealed a lot more about her. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **Slytherson: Snake are creepy af… not a big fan. Orochimaru never is a good sign! Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **Leeny len: Oh my god! Thank you so much! I'm back and as I mentioned above I have this story planned out right through to the start of Boruto… I really want to share it with you guys as well! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **Hisui: Thank you for your review. Kosu is a complicated kid who's been through so much. For pretty much as long as she can remember it's just been her and Hiro and anyone they've encounter has either tried to use them/kill them. Her distrust of people is quite high. I hope this chapter reveals a bit more about why she thinks the way she does and why some people in the Village have managed to get closer to her than others.**

 **To the Guest 28** **th** **: Thank you for your review. You raised some really good points. This chapter marks the beginning of a new chapter for Kosu so I hope you liked it a bit more. I'll admit that I'm not fond of an over powered protagonist (male or female) as I feel it lowers the stakes of the story. What's at stake when you know your protagonist can step in and wipe them all out? With respect to Kosu any flaw that she has is a result of her past and everything that has happened to her. Her flaws are as much a part of her as her strengths. I'm also a firm believer that flaws in one situation can be strengths in others and vice versa…**

 **The children slipping past the guards was a plot hole I overlooked so well spotted!**

 **I agree the children should be punished for sneaking away, but I feel like that punishment would have been done by their parents… that was my interpretation anyway.**

 **Her secret is still safe!**

 **OneWhoReadsTooMuch: (fantastic name) Thank you for your review! You picked up on a lot of the subtler points I made in the last chapter which makes me soooo happy! Kakashi is the only one who is even attempting to understand Kosu and that shows (and is rewarded) in this chapter. Orochimaru never is good news but I'm giving nothing away as to what his appearance hold for the future of the bothers!**

 **HappyDog23006007341647: Thank you for your review! So glad you love my character and her actions! I really want to keep going!**

 **NobodyInParticlr: :D Thank you so much! So lovely Kakashi-Kosu training in this chapter. Indeed! Orochimaru is a bad omen!**

 **Hdmosprey: Thank you so much! It warms my heart whenever I hear a compliment on my OC! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **Scarla Vanessa: Thank you, thank you, thank you! Such a kind review! My aim it to update more regularly! I hope you enjoyed this chapter :D as for writing advice… honestly, I got to this point by writing a lot and writing a lot of bad stuff as well haha. But most importantly, learning from what I was bad at.**


	10. The Curse of the Older Brother

_**Disclaimer: Naruto is property of Masashi Kishimoto, not me. However, Kosu and Hiro are mine. Warning, possible themes of a dark, violent or suggestive nature and use of mature language as the story progresses… They're ninja after all.**_

 **Chapter 10**

 _ **The Curse of the Older Brother**_

Sakumo's green glowing hand hovered over Kakashi's upper thigh, the shallow cut knitting back together quickly. Dark eyes ran the length of his body for the fifth night in a row. To the untrained eye they were haphazard scratches, but Sakumo knew better. They were a surface map: femoral artery, brachial artery, flexor tendons of the hand, Achille's tendon, the map continued across his son's body… _precision strikes_.

"You and Kosuke are well matched." He commented.

Kakashi turned to look up at his father with wide eyes. He opened his mouth before quickly shutting it again. _Of course he worked it out, he's the White Fang._ Kakashi nodded and pulled his T-shirt back on. Sakumo placed his large hand on Kakashi's head.

"He's more skilled than I originally thought." Kakashi admitted. Sakumo smiled fondly.

"Being a challenging spar isn't all that makes you well suited." Sakumo said. Kakashi raised a questioning eyebrow. "You trust each other." Kakashi startled at the declaration, almost losing his balance on the couch. _Trust?_

"I barely know anything about him." Kakashi frowned. _And Kosu barely knew Kakashi_.

"When you spar, have you ever doubted his control?" Sakumo asked. _Doubted that he wouldn't pull back in time?_ Kakashi's eyes widened. "Kosuke hasn't doubted you either."

"I really don't think he means it that way." Kakashi shook his head.

"Don't over think it." He chuckled. "Some things are meant to be spoken through actions, not churned about up here." He ruffled Kakashi's hair until the soft white strands were standing on end. He squirmed beneath his father's hand and batted him away. Sakumo laughed deeply and stood from the couch.

"Dad." His voice halted him in his step.

Kakashi chewed the inside of his lip. The four of them had received such a dressing down for venturing beyond the village without permission. Their parent's relief had worn off eventually, replaced with frustration at their recklessness. The Hokage had also called them all before him to read them the riot act. They were shinobi in training and had given no thought to the dangers their actions could have put themselves and the village in. _They were such idiots_. Kakashi still cursed his own recklessness. But for everything that went wrong… _Kosu had opened his eyes._

"Kosu's taking me hunting with him."

The humour fell from Sakumo's eyes, the smile weakening on his lips. _He's done hesitating_.

"You're sure this is what you want?"

Kakashi nodded and to his relief Sakumo returned the gesture, understanding passing between them.

"I'll make sure you can pass through the gate." He said. "And Kakashi, look out for each other." _Protect your friends._

 **X**

The hairs on Kosu's neck stood on end. _He's staring._ She glanced from the deer tracks to Kakashi.

"Am I your prey?" She asked bluntly.

 _What?_ "No." Kakashi startled.

"Then quit staring and start focussing on your target." She frowned. Kakashi's face warmed beneath his mask and he pulled his eyes from her back. _Trust? Ha, not likely._

Kosu rolled her shoulders, her hackles relaxing slightly. The quiet of the forest brought her a peace she doubted the bustle of the Village ever could, even with Kakashi and his staring. Staring aside… _He's okay to bring hunting._ His foot falls were silent and he'd demonstrated good sensory ability. Kosu watched as Kakashi bent to inspect an obvious track. _Though he wasn't there to track._ She ran her tongue over her bottom lip that wasn't why he wanted her there. _He wants to kill._

"We're getting close." He murmured. Kosu hummed lowly in agreement.

"We need to flank around, keep down wind." She said. Kakashi nodded and took off after Kosu, following her silent pursuit.

The pair came to a stop, eyes locked on the peacefully grazing stag bellow them. Kosu had made sure to keep away from Nara land so was certain it wasn't one of their herd. _This one was Kakashi's_. Kakashi reached for his kunai pouch. Kosu gently clasped her hand around his, halting his movement. He looked to her, wide eyed.

"You will hesitate again." She whispered.

"Not this time." His fist clenched beneath hers.

"You will." She clenched his fist.

 _Everyone is like that in the beginning_. His fist relaxed and Kosu's words echoed in his mind. Kosu wasn't trying to belittle him or make fun of him. _It's a warning._ He was telling him this now to avoid him being caught by surprise. His head fell forward and he swallowed thickly. _Kosu saw straight through him_.

"And you should." She added. She released his hand in favour of gripping his chin to force him to look at her. "You'll hesitate for exactly the same reason that will allow you to stop hesitating. The fleeting moment, just before you take its life you are closer to that being than any other, you're bonded and you'll realise you are _exactly the same_." She released his chin, her eyes scanning his face. "Realise that, respect it, and take the kill."

Kosu watched as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His hands lost their tremor and went to his kunai pouch. Wind ruffled her hair as Kakashi launched from his spot and attacked the stag. He landed on its back, metal glinted as he swung the kunai between the antlers. The arc jerked briefly as he struggled through his hesitation. He drove the metal into his target, straight through its eye, blood spurting up onto his hand.

The majestic animal fell to the ground with a heavy thump. Silence engulfed them, broken only by Kakashi's heavy breathing, his body frozen on the back of his fallen prey. His hand clenched around the kunai, knuckles blanching white.

Kosu landed next to him. _Good clean kill, cleaner than her first._ Her eyes softened, the memory of a younger version of herself caught in the same position as Kakashi flashed before her mind. Her chest ached, how much had she yearned for someone to be there with her the first time? _The words she'd wished to hear._ She sat down at the head of the fallen stag, its empty black eye staring up at her. She let the silence continue, Kakashi's breathing gradually became quieter.

"You can't tell if you found it too easy or too hard, truth is it's both." She paused and looked up the canopy. "The stag kills plants to grow. We kill the stag to grow. We kill each other and…" She sighed. "The race for survival goes beyond just man. It includes everything. It's _easy_ because we've always been a part of this, even if Konoha tries to shelter you from it and pretend that you're not. Man was always part of this cycle, setting up and walls and houses doesn't change that. It only hides it." She looked down to meet his gaze, "It's _hard_ because life needs death and in that moment when you realise you're the same, that life is life, your body screams that you're not the same. You feel sick because you realise that there are those who you'd rather see dead first to ensure life in someone else." She reached forwards and gently unwrapped Kakashi's hand from the kunai still embedded in the stag. "That's why you hesitate and it's also why you won't."

Kakashi could only nod mutely. His numb body finally responded to his brain and he slipped from the back of the Stag. Kosu quickly turned the Stag over and began field stripping the animal, removing the organs without damaging them.

"… Kosu." Kakashi murmured.

Her bloodied hands slowed in their work. She tilted her head towards him but didn't remove her eyes from her work.

"You don't have to say anything Kakashi." Her voice was soft, the tone she usually reserved solely for Hiro.

The rapid beating of his heart began to slow. _Thank you._

Kosu made quick work of field stripping the Stag. It was the largest prey she'd ever worked on. The sheer size of it meant she'd never be able to carry it alone. She glanced to Kakashi as she tied the legs of the stag together and passed a thick branch between them. _Thought, she wasn't alone_. She shooed the thought away to the back of her mind and nodded with her head for Kakashi to take the other end of the branch.

They made their way back to the village. _He's staring again._ She opened her mouth to snap, but found it caught in her throat. Whilst she was acutely aware that his eyes were boring into her back, the hairs on her neck weren't raised. There was no uncomfortable chill crawling down her back.

"Why me Kakashi?" She asked instead. "Your father is the White Fang of Konoha, yet you asked me." Kakashi was silent for a long time, long enough for her to give up on him answering.

"If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have known I needed to ask." He said. He saw Kosu's shoulders tense, but their step didn't falter. After a moment, the rigidity faded and since Kosu's back was to him he missed the small smile.

 **X**

Sakumo's face was a grave mask, dark eyes fixed on the main gate to the Village from his roof top perch. He'd stood, unmoved since Kakashi and Kosu had disappeared beyond the walls. The temptation to follow was immense, but this was a rite of passage Kakashi had to do his own way. _A way that didn't include Sakumo._

"Do you see something?"

Sakumo was pulled from his thoughts. Minato landed silently next to him, blue eyes, serious and scanning the horizon.

"Nothing to worry about." Sakumo forced a reassuring smile to his face. _Trust Minato to notice._

Minato turned to Sakumo. They'd worked together on several missions before and he recognised the grim shadow to the older man's expression. Sakumo sighed and returned his gaze to the gate.

"Kakashi will make his first kill today."

Minato's eyes widened before mirroring Sakumo's expression and turned to watch the gate. _Given Kakashi's skill, it was only a matter of time._

"He's gone alone?"

"Kosuke went with him." Sakumo found the corners of his lips pulling upward slightly. _They'll be good for each other_.

Minato glanced at Sakumo's profile and raised his brow slightly at his expression. _That's unexpected_. The deerstalker had obviously impressed the infamous White Fang. So much so he was prepared to trust Kosuke with his son. He turned his eyes to the gate, Kosu and Kakashi passed under the tall gate. The large stag between them was evidence enough of a very successful hunt. Both jonin looked carefully to Kakashi, an evident shadow now cast behind his eyes, but it was supported with a deeper understanding.

Sakumo exhaled heavily. _Look after each other._

 **X**

Kakashi and Kosu stepped out from Goro's butchers, the excitable man still raving about the large cut of stag left hanging. They both had their own packages bundled in their arms as well as the antlers in Kosu's. Kakashi ran his hand over the top of his neatly wrapped meat. _You need to eat it._ Kosu had all but thrusted his cut to him, leaving no room for arguement.

He was pulled from his thoughts as Kosu slipped by his side, ducking away from Goro. It seemed the old man had grown fond of Kosu's regular visits and meat drops. _Too fond for Kosu's liking_. He could only smirk as Kosu straightened the baggy T-shirt Goro had ruffled in his overzealous thank you.

"Good bye Goro-san." Kosu frowned, turning swiftly on her heel. _Happy fool._

Kakashi nodded his goodbye and quickly fell into step with Kosu. He glanced to him. His mouth ran dry as the question burned at the back of his throat. Kosu sensed his stare and turned to meet it, a single eyebrow raised.

"Have you ever…?" He trailed off… _killed someone?_

Kakashi didn't need to finish his question. Kosu's gaze dropped to the floor. Kakashi's heart thumped against his chest, unable to look away from Kosu. _There he goes, going somewhere he couldn't reach. Somewhere deep into his mind_.

"… Yes." Kosu brought her gaze back to Kakashi's. She watched his profile, heart pounding as he was silent for the longest time.

"I'm glad you survived." He said. Words so simple yet they hit Kosu in her chest and knocked the breath straight out of her. Heat bloomed where they hit and spread to consume her entire body, bringing with it a small smile to her face. Kakashi caught the smile this time and chuckled. Kosu's eyes narrowed.

"You won't be when we spar tomorrow." It would have been threatening, had Kakashi not caught the playful flicker in her grey eyes.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He smiled, nodding his head towards Sakumo who was waiting for him further along the path. The warmth seeped out of her as she watched Sakumo warmly welcome his son. Any slight flicker of playfulness faded and she turned to walk a different path, alone.

"Kosuke." Sakumo called before she completely disappeared. "Would you like to join us for dinner?" She blinked, jaw falling slack. _The hell?_

"…I…" her mind blanked.

"Dad." Kakashi scratched the back of his neck, eyes darting between Kosu and his father.

"I need to be somewhere." She tightened her jaw, her stomach twisting uncomfortably. _Why would he ask that?_ Something urged her, deep in the back of her mind, to back away. _It didn't feel right._ Kosu swallowed, that little voice, that urge had kept her alive. It wasn't something she was in the habit of ignoring.

"Some other time." Sakumo waved easily. Kosu blinked at him and made a swift exit down an adjacent path. Her heart pounding and only beginning to slow after she put some distance between herself and the Hatake's.

Kosu took a diverted route back to the orphanage. She looked to the antlers in her hand, cursing herself for agreeing to Goro's suggestion. _Should have just left them on the fuckign stag_. Kosu inhaled slowly as she entered the Nara Clan's land. Dark haired, dark eyed members glancing in her direction as she passed through the street. She arrived at the main house, the back of which faced onto the very forest she and Hiro had been found in.

"Shikaku can you get that?" Kosu heard a woman call from within the house in response to her knock. A groan followed it, then slowly the shuffle of sluggish feet. The door swung open to reveal a sleepy eyed Shikaku, his black shirt slightly crinkled. _He was probably asleep_. Kosu raised an eyebrow. _Sleeping? At this time?_ The sun was still in the sky.

"Huh." Sleep left his eyes as he regarded Kosu thoughtfully. "It's you."

"Goro said you'd have use for these." She said, offering the large antlers. Shikaku eyed the antlers as he took them. _Big animal to take down_. "It's not one of yours."

"I know." He said.

"They wouldn't be waiting on the forest edge if it was." Kosu finished for him. She looked to the few deer collected at the forest boundary, their dark eyes tracking her every move. Her gaze narrowed on the scar on the closest deer's shoulder. _She knew that one all too well_. It snorted, blowing hot air from its snout. Dark eyes never once left Kosu.

"Exactly." Shikaku smirked. _Impressive awareness._ "Goro's right." He motioned to the antlers. "Thank you."

"Thank him." She inclined her head, turning on her heel and walking away. Shikaku huffed in amusement as he scratched the back of his neck. His smirk grew as Inoichi and Choza rounded the corner. The former did a very poor job of hiding his stare when he spotted the child walking towards them.

Kosu furrowed her brow at the long haired jonin and sped up her pace, darting around the corner. _Strange, strange man._

Shikaku could only pinch the bridge of his nose. _For crying out loud, Inoichi._

"That was him, right?" Inoichi grinned as he joined Shikaku. Shikaku rolled his eyes but nodded. "Ahhhh, our little deerstalker." He looked at the antlers in Shikaku's hands. "Please tell me he brought you that?"

"And my day was going so peacefully." Shikaku mumbled as he turned and retreated into the house.

"He did." Inoichi clapped his hands together and rubbed them excitedly. "Come on, tell me!" Choza could on shake his head as he followed his teammates into the Nara house.

 **X**

Kosu ran her hand of Hiro's head. The smaller boy had curled into her side as they sat on the worn couch of their apartment. The setting sun threw a warm glow through the window onto the two siblings. Hiro's ear was pressed to her chest, her steady heart beat created a soothing pace whilst she read his book out loud. His small fist tightened his grip on her soft T-shirt as she came to the end of the chapter and closed the book.

"It's time for me to go." She said softly, pressing her lips to the crown of his head. Hiro nodded, slowly releasing his grip and shifting away from Kosu. He listened as she gathered her ninja tools. "I'll be back later." She cupped his cheek, running her calloused thumb along the soft skin. And with that Kosu was gone. The door snapped shut and he was left in the quiet of the apartment.

Kosu reached the bottom of the stairs and slowed as she entered the entrance hall. Hiriko stood at the sight of her and made her way towards her. Kosu narrowed her eyes. The main entrance of the orphanage was usually empty when she would pass through on her way to train with Mito. _What does she want?_

"Kosuke, I had hoped to see you." She smiled. Kosu's gut twisted sharply. _False smiles_.

"Waiting for me will usually ensure that." Kosu said. _Cut the crap._ Hiriko's smile wavered. "What do you want Hiriko-san?"

"I need to talk to you about Hiro." Hiriko had abandoned any attempt at smiling. Kosu's jaw clenched. _What about him?_ "It's obvious that you love your brother very much. But what you're doing isn't fair to him." Kosu's fists clenched painfully at her sides. "He's such a young boy, you leave him for hours at a time! He needs-"

"He's fine." Her voice a low threatening rumble. _Don't hit her. Don't hit her. Don't hit her._ "Hiro's is fine." Kosu glowered, eyes darkening.

"He needs a mother." Hiriko insisted. "Someone to care fo-"

"He's got me." She snapped.

"You're not enough!"

 _Don't hit her. Don't hit her. Don't hit her._ Kosu fought to keep her clenched fists at her side.

"You know nothing about us Hiriko-san. Don't stand there and claim to know what's best for Hiro when you don't even know him." Kosu hissed. Her teeth ground together and she made her way to the exit.

"I know he cries when you're not here." Hiriko said quietly. Kosu froze in her step, her back to the elder woman, eyes widening. _He cries?_ "Please Kosuke, just consider letting the orphanage take over Hiro's care?" Hiriko pleaded. Kosu swallowed thickly and exited, letting the door slam behind her.

She managed three steps before she had to stop and press her forehead to the cold wall of the orphanage. _He cries?_ Kosu shook her head. _He can't be_. She darted around the side of the building, scaling the different levels until she reached a tree branch outside of Hiro's bedroom.

 _No…_

 _Oh Hiro… No._

Through the window she could see his small shaking form, curled up in his blankets, tears streaming from his pearly white eyes. The skin of his face was flushed pink and his chest shuddered as he drew in ragged breaths. Kosu stumbled back to the trunk of the tree, her hand braced against the bark to steady herself. Her chest turned to ice, feeling almost like it was collapsing on itself.

She heard the door to their apartment open. A moment later Hiriko entered Hiro's room. Kosu could only watch, nails digging into the tree as the elder woman pulled Hiro into a comforting hug. Hiro opened his arms to Hiriko, welcoming the words of comfort she whispered into his ear. Hiro's tears slowly stopped and his breathing calmed.

Kosu's jaw clenched painfully. Raw heat surged from within her, driving the angry fist she threw into the trunk of the tree. She quickly leapt from her perch, running across roof tops to avoid the chattering people on the streets below. Her vision blurred slightly as tears welled at the edges. She bit her lip, swallowing thickly and urged the tears back. Nothing fell from her eyes.

Mito looked up from tending to the tea as Kosu landed in the clearing. _What happened?_ She saw the change to Kosu immediately. Shoulders hunched, riddled with tension, fists balled at her sides. Mito ducked her head slightly to try to catch Kosu's gaze but she stubbornly refused to look at her. _Don't close off, Kosu._

Kosu took her place around the fire, taking her brush and ink from her bag. _Focus, anger doesn't solve anything._ She exhaled slowly, rolling her sleeves up, forcibly trying to push everything to the sides of her mind. She knew if she could manage that the churning hot pot in her gut would disappear with it, at least for a little while.

"Let's have some tea first." Mito said peacefully before Kosu could paint the first kanji on her arm. "There's no rush." Kosu chewed the inside of her lip. Her hand shook and she could feel Mito's eyes on her. Slowly she placed the brush down.

Mito placed a steaming cup of tea in front of her. Still unwilling to meet her sensei's gaze she ended up meeting her own pained face reflected at her in the tea. The face of the person determined to protect Hiro and his happiness… and the face of the person who failed. It was like she was being torn in two directions.

"Mito-sensei… I don't know if I can do this." She murmured. "I don't know if I can be a ninja." _If it causes Hiro pain._ "And I don't know if I can _not_ be a ninja." _And be too weak to protect Hiro._ For so long her path had been obvious, whichever lead to their survival. _Why is it so different now!?_

A soft hand cupped her cheek, gently raising her chin to meet the comforting gaze of Mito Uzumaki. Mito knew the expression as soon as she saw it having seen it before in the eyes of her husband.

"Your brother." Kosu nodded. Mito sighed, running her thumb over Kosu's cheek as she took her hand away. The elder woman looked away to the Hokage monument in the distance. "Has anyone ever told why Konoha came to exist?"

Kosu followed Mito's gaze to the monument. _The God of Shinobi… Mito's husband._

"The First and Madara Uchiha formed a truce. Which eventually included more clans and resulted in Konoha." Kosu regurgitated from a text book. _Where was Mito going with this?_

"I asked 'why' not 'how'" Mito said. Kosu blinked, stumped. "Hashirama had a lot of titles and a lot of responsibility, but the one he held most dear was that of Older Brother." She continued fondly. "He was the eldest of four and suffered the heartbreak of losing two of his brothers too early in their lives. In a time of constant fighting and warring he dreamt of a peaceful place where little brothers could grow up away from the dangers that threatened them. That's _why_ Konoha came to exist." Mito said, she turned to face Kosu. "He had opposition though, from Tobirama, his younger brother of all people. The very person he was acting to protect was enraged that he would even suggest talking to Madara Uchiha, let alone forming a truce. Tobirama had had a particularly violent past with the Uchiha clan."

"What did the First do?" Kosu whispered. _How did he make Tobirama happy_ _and_ _form Konoha to protect him?_

"Sometimes ensuring what's best for someone, their happiness, peace, love, protection, comes at the cost of you losing their _personal_ happiness towards you." Mito said. Kosu exhaled heavily. _Could she face Hiro's teary, angry face?_ The image of his gentle face screwed up in anger flashed before her mind. _Could she bare that?_

"Kosu." Mito's voice pulled her from the thoughts that swarmed around her head. She gently drew Kosu's attention to the Hokage monument again. "Tobirama realised what Hashirama intended." Kosu's eyes widened as she looked to the stone face of the Second. The two stern Senju brothers staring down at her. 

"But what if Hiro doesn't realise?" She whispered. Mito sighed. _He would be angry at her forever._ "Placing him under Hiriko-san's care… He'd hate me. He already thinks I'm abandoning him."

"You've been thrust into the adult world too early in your life Kosu. Tough decisions and situations have been placed before you and will continue to be placed before you, forcing you to grow." Mito wrapped a comforting arm around her. "But I know you." Kosu's eyes widened and her throat seemed to close over. _Mito could see right through her._ Maybe even deeper than she could see herself. "And I think, the very fact you came to meet me this evening, you already know what you're going to do." Kosu fisted the soft material of Mito's kimono. "What you need to do." She just didn't want to admit it. _Saying it out loud made it real_. "It's okay." Mito whispered, cupping the side of Kosu's face as she held the young girl to her. Kosu squeezed her eyes shut, her heart beating rapidly as she heard the words she hadn't known she needed to hear. _It's okay._

Mito looked up the stone face of her husband as she held Kosu to her. _She's finally beginning to understand it Hashirama… your will is still being passed on_. A sad smile pulled at her lips and she looked down to the girl curled into her side. _He would have liked her._

Kosu's grip on Mito slowly relaxed, her heart slowed and her breath came less harshly. The tension that Mito had felt curled beneath her frame loosened and she pulled away from her sensei. She raised her head to look at Mito with bloodshot eyes. Mito smiled softly and inclined her head. Kosu reached for the ink brush once more, her steady hand drawing the kanji on to her arms. _She would be what Hiro needed._

 **X**

Later that evening, with the kanji washed from her arms and her body aching from Mito's intense fūinjutsu training, Kosu returned to their apartment. Silently, she snuck into Hiro's room, eyes softening as she saw his peacefully slumbering body curled beneath the blankets. _He probably doesn't remember a time where he had blankets._ She ran her hand over the soft locks on his head. As gently as she could she lay down beside him, spoon his smaller body with her own and wrapped a protective arm over him. She bowed her head, pressing her cheek to the crown of his head.

 _Hiro could hate her, maybe never even forgive her. But she would continue to become stronger, to run the race for him even if he didn't realise it. Konoha was a place for little brothers to grow up peacefully and she would protect it._

 _That's what big brothers do._

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **XScouseLondonerX**

 **Lizyeh2000: You are more than welcome! Thank you for reading and reviewing! I love hearing what you guys are thinking and feeling about the story and how it's progressing. I read (and often re-read) reviews because of that and try to respond to all of them. After all you're all taking the time to comment so I should take the time to reply haha. I hope you liked this chapter! Lots of deep feels and confusing times for our little Kosu. And tell me about it! I can't wait for her secret to come out… A little while to go for that yet though. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **CutieChante: Thank you for reviewing. That chapter was on the shorter side, but because of the plot it made sense to cut it off there. This one was a little bit longer! She has been spending more time with her brother but it's not that simple for poor Kosu and Hiro! I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **OneWhoReadsTooMuch: Tell me about it! I love writing Kakashi-Kosu scenes! Especially now that they're starting to understand each other and bond, of course in true shinobi fashion haha. I hope you liked the adult response to Kosu in this chapter! Quite a bit of deep Kosu-Mito in this chapter, with Kosu facing the hardest choice she's ever had to make. Thankfully she had a sensei and maternal figure who, like you said, she can actually breathe a sigh of relief around. And you've hit the nail on the head with Daiki. He does genuinely care! It's just that sometimes, no matter how much you care, you're not what that person needs at that time in their lives. I hope I haven't crushed everyone too much with the Kosu-Hiro dilemma that's going on!**

 **SnowCatt: So glad you liked what I did! I've had this in the plot since the very beginning and I got so excited when your comment hit the nail on the head. I hope you liked this chapter.**

 **LadyAmazon: Everyone loves Minato! (Myself included haha) and he will for sure make another appearance with Kosu, it makes sense since they're both fūinjutsu users… A slight appearance in this chapter and I can definitely promise more to come!**

 **TheWick: Thank you for the review! I spent quite a bit of time outlining how Kosu's version of fūinjutsu is going to work and I can't wait to write it for you! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **ZippyZappy: Thank you! I feel like I'm making up for (a lot of) lost time! Haha. Yet more Kakashi-Kosu bonding time which is a pleasure to write (since this is a Kakashi-OC haha). Sakumo is such a wonderful character that I really want to explore in this story. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Oxygenate: Thank you for reviewing! And I'm not giving any spoilers away! Keep tuned "the blonde" and the rest of Kosu's team with be revealed soon!**

 **Wyteeth: Thank you for your review! Kosu's team will be revealed shortly and I think it'll make for a good fit! (If I was Hokage I'd but her on that team haha). Given how good friends Kakashi and Gai are, he's definitely going to feature in this story so you'll get your Gai fix (even in a more angsty fic like this). Again, thank you for your review, your comments go a long way to inspiring me and motivating me to write Kosu's story! Hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **HappyDog23006007341647: Thank you for your review. My current aim is a chapter a week with it being uploaded Fri/Sat… However, as we go into the new year that may have to be stretched to a chapter every 2 weeks as my life will be more hectic then. As always I hope you liked this chapter.**

 **CassieInTheDark: I know right! I've been dying to get to this turning point in Kosu's story because I spent ages outlining her fūinjutsu technique haha. Thank you for your review and I hope you liked this chapter.**

 **Thanzintay2000: Thank you for your review! So glad you like this! I hope you continue to enjoy it.**

 **UmbreonGurl: Thank you so much for your review!**

 **Stars in the Black: Thank you so much! Hope you liked this chapter.**

 **NeoFireKitten: Gah! Thank you so much! It's always a joy when new readers join Kosu's story! I hope you continue to like it :D**

 **Pandyisapanda: (Love the penname) Thank you so much for your review!**

 **Tabjoy13: Yay! Thank you for your review. I hope you enjoyed this one as well. Lots of bonding and deep feels for Kosu that she doesn't properly know how to process! As for Kosu's team I'm not revealing any spoilers! It'll be announced in the next few chapters so keep tuned!**

 **Guest 28: Thank you for your comment. I think I misinterpreted your earlier comment slightly (so I'm sorry about that). You are 100% making sense and are raising very valid points that transcend far beyond my simple fanfiction to a much larger gender equality issue. With regards to Kosu, because of the character mapping and plot outlining that I've done it'll be impossible for me to change anything fundamental without ruining the flow of the fic. But, that being said I will definitely keep your comments in mind and try to lessen the gender discrepancy where I can. As you said this is a very, very male dominated manga and also a manga where OP characters are rife. You also raised a very valid argument over the children leaving the village. I've attempted to rectify that where I can in this chapter but admit that it looks like shoddy plotting on my part (mainly because it was!). All of that aside I do hope that you are enjoying this fic.**

 **CherryBerry: Thank you for your review. Kosu is indeed and very angsty character and given her back story I feel like that's part of her. (She's in desperate need of Naruto's therapy-no-jutsu!). I also want to apologise for misleading you into a "romance" fic. I promise that there will be Kakashi-OC romance, but it will come later. After all the characters are still children, and romantic relations are not top of Kosu's priorities (yet). In light of your review I've relabelled this fic as "romance/angst". And I don't think it's a matter of "growing up" merely a matter of taste… you can be the most grown up person in the world and not like angsty characters… they're not for everyone.**

 **Sakuraddiction: Ahh! Thank you so much! To hear that I'm portraying such complex emotions believably is such high praise thank you thank you thank you. Ooooh! I wonder if you're right about Kosu's sensei! All will be revealed in the next few chapters I promise! I hope you liked this chapter.**

 **I'm a guest: Thank you so much! Such high praise! I hope you liked this chapter.**

 **Santoserimar: Thank you for the review… I feel this chapter may have broken your heart a little bit. Lots of Hiro-Kosu tension and drama! Also so happy to hear that the pacing of this fic is going about right! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! *she says as she ducks to avoid any projectiles***


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